Xenith Rise
by ScareyBear
Summary: When the psychic Iris meets a man from the kingdom of Asgard, she has no idea what she's gotten herself into. However, their relationship may only be the first step in her superheroine life...
1. Chapter 1

Whoa there, nearly forgot to add the disclaimer. Like I said on my profile; new to this place. This is my first story. Tell me what you think!

Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel or any related characters. Wouldn't even want to, really... but I love the movies and comics (seriously, if you've only seen the movies, _try the comics-_they're awesome!).

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She was still looking for her sister. Iris knew that her biological mother had supplied the scientists with two eggs total. The other had been turned into another type of mutant, but Iris had never met her. All she knew about her was that she had wings.

Iris was engineered to have telepathy and telekinesis.

After escaping the lab in the same fiasco that had freed her sister, Iris had enlisted in a traveling circus. She packed tents, moved boxes, amused audiences with her little tricks.

And on days like today, she saved lives. She thought about earlier, during the tightrope act with her colleague. Both of them were on the rope. He fell. He was at the wrong angle. He was going to snap his neck if he hit the net. So she moved him with her mind. Only someone who watched very closely could have seen his sudden shift in direction. He'd probably felt it, but luckily he was a very devout man. He'd probably taken the occurrence as an act of God and considered himself blessed. Iris surmised as much, but she was worried about the audience. _No one _could know that she was… different. Who knew what could happen.

Going through the minds of the audience, she couldn't find anyone thinking anything more than _Oh he fell. What a shame_. Then she reached the edge of the crowd and stopped, looking up sharply. The presence was there, but upon entering the mind she was met with silence. She wondered if they were dead. Instead she met the pale blue eyes of a handsome and mischievous looking young man. He seemed knowing, amused, yet surprised and intrigued as well. That was Iris's turn to almost fall off the rope. But she completed the act. Later, when she looked again, he had vanished.

Now, she wanted to find him again. She wanted to see what had stopped her from reading his mind, and why he'd had that aura of power around him. But she also wanted to find her sister. So many things to do.

Hacking into yet another database as she'd trained herself to do over the past few years, she searched fruitlessly for mentions of a strange person with wings. Then she tossed her Pepsi can into the recycling and slammed her laptop shut. She was closing the door to her trailer when she looked across the pavement and saw a lone figure looking around, then proceeding to leave the parking lot. All she could see was a silhouette, but she knew in that instant that it was the same man… no boy… person, she guessed.

_Hey! _she called out with her mind. _Who are you?_ He was gone from the lot but there was a presence in the darkness and she knew he was there, just not ready to be seen. He paused, then gave her an answer. Or a not-answer.

_Who are _you_?_

_Really? _ Iris was annoyed._ You're the one stalking me and blocking my telepathy, so don't I get the first answer?_

A ripple of amusement. _I am Loki Odinson._

_Iris._

_Just Iris?_

_Just Iris. Never got a last name._

_No father?_

_Nope._

_Strange._

_You bet._

Iris was a little on edge. Not once in her life could a person return her telepathy. She could send messages to them and read their minds to see what they were thinking back, but he was replying to her directly. Not only did he have exceptional power, both his name and his attitude suggested something else. He seemed—in the strangest way—like he wasn't from Earth.

_You have unusual power for a mortal, Iris._

_Tell you what, _Iris said. _Can I talk to you in person? Tomorrow after my act, right out front. I think we've got a lot to talk about. You're…_ she hesitated, then plowed on. …_ not from here, are you?_

_Astute, Iris. I am not. I will be there._

The connection was gone, like someone had hung up on the other side of the phone. Closing her trailer door, Iris was apprehensive. What had she just gotten herself into?

After getting off the stage and to her dressing room, Iris quickly ripped off her hat and cape. The performance had been pretty good, but she'd been half-distracted the whole time. This Loki character hadn't even been in the crowd, but the prospect of meeting her first extraterrestrial had been throwing her off for the whole show.

Finally in normal street clothes, she pulled on her long coat to battle the cold weather, and quickly departed. Leaving through the side of the tent, she walked round to the front and saw another figure donning a long black coat.

"Hello Loki," she said. He turned sharply and looked at her appraisingly.

"Iris, I presume."

"That's me. Let's walk."

They started through the near deserted circus grounds. Loki broke the silence. "You have exceptional power for a human."

"I'm kind of a mutant. I was bred in a lab to have weird powers. But you're not even human. Can you start by telling me where you're from?"

"I don't even know if I'm supposed to. Humans seem to have forgotten us. I just thought that you might have come from there as well."

"No, I'm just a freak of science. But you can't back out now. Just give me a name."

"Asgard."

"Wait," said Iris, "like… hold on a sec…oh. Wow."

Loki coughed. "What?"

"Norse myths. That's what you meant. You were never forgotten, because these people on Earth put you into their stories. I remember some of the legends… Asgard was the home of the Norse gods. The only god's name that I remember is Thor. So he really exists? Do you know him?"

Loki scowled for half a second, before recovering himself. "Sort of. I knew that the humans saw our powers and immediately worshipped us as gods, but I didn't think that the stories persisted. We were only there for what… a couple years? I wouldn't listen to half the stories if I were you, they're probably all wrong."

"But why are you even here?"

Loki's face twisted into a half-smile. "Boredom. And sibling problems."

Iris laughed. "We all have them." After saying so, though, she felt odd. After learning that her new friend was a god—well not really, but extremely powerful and ancient—she'd been slightly intimidated. But seeing him smile and hearing his lightness turned him into someone who Iris suddenly wanted to know.

Loki was still speaking. "Midgard—I mean, Earth—seems to have changed a lot in the past millennia. Can you tell me about the realm now?"

"Sure. As long as you tell me about Asgard."

"We have an accord."

They talked through the afternoon and into the night about their respective worlds. Iris fell in love with Asgard as Loki described it to her. It seemed every bit as mythical as the Norse had depicted it—a land full of adventure and danger, exactly like Earth wasn't.

Loki seemed fascinated by what Iris showed him of Earth technology. Not exactly impressed, but at least interested.

"You're lucky," said Iris at one point. "I would give anything to live in a place like Asgard—and I mean anything. Here, everything has turned so fake. We think that we've made life so easy for ourselves, but in the end we're sacrificing the most important things for our dull lives of safety."

They were outside of a café in the little New Mexican town. She'd bought dinner for them, and coffees afterward, something Loki had never experienced before, but seemed to enjoy. He was inspecting the paper cup with both curiosity and slight disbelief, and after speaking her piece, Iris had to suppress a smile.

"Dull and fake or not," said Loki, poking at the empty cup before finally throwing it away, "I must admit that it is very creative. Who would ever have thought of a drink held by paper?"

"Just someone trying to find a cheap way to serve it. Earth is very much monetarily centered. Asgard sounds just so much more…real. You hold on to what keeps life exciting. Plus, you can actually learn magic. It's incredible. Trust me, Loki, you were born in Asgard—you want to stay there."

"Asgard has no coffee."

Iris laughed. "Then come back for it as often as you like, just don't try and live here."

"I may take you up on that offer."

Iris's eyes lit up. "Really? That reminds me, when _do_ you have to leave? If you wanted to stay, I could get you a room in the local motel."

"I should probably be getting back very soon, actually. The only person who knew where I was going was Heimdall, and he usually doesn't tell anyone where I go unless he's asked. Still, the rest of the family will probably be cross with me for leaving, and if I don't stay away too long, they needn't know that I ever left Asgard. I thank you for your hospitality, Iris."

"Any time, Loki. I had more fun today than I've had for awhile. Come back whenever you feel like you need a coffee."

He smiled, and inclined his head, and walked off into the darkness. Within a few seconds he was gone, and Iris felt a tinge of sadness. He'd most likely come back, but in a couple thousand years, hardly having aged at all.

Iris was exhausted the next day. She hadn't been able to get any sleep, and so was nearly falling off the stage during rehearsal. She put on a mediocre performance, but returned to her RV afterwards completely spent. Sitting down, she wondered what excuse Loki had come up with to explain his absence. From the stories he'd shared of Asgard, after they'd both gotten onto friendlier terms, he seemed like a real practical joker and trickster. He seemed like the type who could spin a story to fool any—

_Iris?_

She fell off her chair.

_Loki?_

_Hello again._

_Craving that coffee already?_

_Not quite yet. Just testing a method of communication. I've found a way to send messages to Earth. If you were also from Asgard, I don't believe I'd need it, but with it, we can commune._

_Nice._

_Sorry. Did I disturb you?_

_Falling off my chair was slightly disturbing, but I wasn't doing anything important. _

_I didn't mean to hold you for long anyway. My brother simply gives me little to smile about._

_Is he that big of a jerk?_

_He doesn't try to be. He's just got a bit of an overinflated head. _

_Well, if you need a friend, you know where to find me._

_I thank you for that._

And so Iris gained her first extraterrestrial friend.


	2. Chapter 2

And the saga continues. Thanks to the Yoshinator and Riolutae for their reviews ^_^

Disclaimer: I don't own Thor/Marvel/related characters, etc, etc. You know the drill.

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She wasn't looking forward to Christmas break at all. She had no family; her circus friends were not big into holidays and still not really good friends. For the past couple Christmases, she'd spent the whole week in her RV, not really talking to anyone, only leaving to get food and do similar necessities. It was a week of boredom. Instead of hanging around after the last Friday show, she decided to take a run. With only a jacket, a water bottle, and her camera, she went jogging across the desert.

Light snow began falling, but it only invigorated her, and the first five miles passed without event. She wondered if they had Christmas in Asgard. Loki had only contacted her a couple of other times, usually with a question about Earth and a complaint about his brother driving him up the wall. It amused her to picture demigods quarreling in the heavens. But she also supposed that the quarrels of superhumans weren't anything to be laughed at.

She moved on to think of her sister. Still no lead, and the circus was set to stay in New Mexico for another two months. One of their long stays. She was never going to get anywhere this way.

The GPS she'd installed in her watch told her that she'd reached five miles due west, and she decided to turn around. She'd only taken about an hour to make it out here. She could get back before it got too dark. She stopped to take a drink. That's when she noticed the storm.

Directly above her, something that looked like a funnel cloud was forming. A swirling mass of dark cloud flickering with lightning was snaking down towards her with alarming and unnatural speed. She instinctively backed up and watched as it reached down and struck the Earth in front of her. The clouds thinned and she noticed a familiar figure within who certainly hadn't been there a moment before.

"Loki!" Iris cried in delight. She knew that he wasn't the hugging type, but if he had been she would've thrown her arms around him. She realized with a pang how much Loki's telepathic company had been invaluable to her over the past few months.

He looked surprised. "I didn't expect to find you here." Then he grinned. "But it is a welcome surprise."

Iris laughed. "What are you doing here? Did you have more questions about Earth?"

"Actually, I was wondering if you might visit Asgard," he said.

Iris nearly gawked, but kept her mouth shut. Suddenly she noticed that his clothing was definitely not Earth style. It was a combination of armor and robe, black leather and green cloth and gold trim. It suited his demeanor perfectly, and Iris had to say that it was much more epic than anything to be found on Earth. All that she could get out was "Are you serious?"

"Quite. I don't believe you'll need anything for a short visit. You'd need Asgardian clothing and effects anyway. I've arranged a place for you to stay, if you'd like. It seems that you endured my presence to teach me about Earth; now I'd like you to see my world. So?"

"Do you really need me to answer that?"

"Then come." He beckoned. Without hesitation, Iris stepped forward. Looking up, she saw the cloud shoot out of the sky and down to Earth, and then suck them off of the surface of the planet.

Iris would never forget the journey. They shot past stars and nebulae, vast galaxies, all in a tunnel of swirling light. She was staring, open-mouthed, as the universe flashed by her, and in a burst of light she was suddenly standing on tile.

She stumbled, but Loki caught her. "Are you all right?" he whispered. "If that was your first journey, I can understand that it would be disorienting." She quickly and quietly assured him that she was fine. She took in the golden dome around her, with a pedestal in the middle. On it stood a man in golden armor, eyes closed, with his lance driven into some mechanical socket. As she watched, he removed it and the light tunnel behind them shut down. Signaling that she should make no further noise, Loki led her around the pedestal and out of the dome, onto a bridge that looked to be made of light-entwined crystal. It was suspended over a vast expanse of water. Behind them, the water fell away into nothing, and the mysterious reaches of the galaxy stared them in the face. Ahead, though, lay a golden city under a golden sky, on a lush and populated island. It was something out of a dream.

Two horses were waiting obediently on the bridge, a black and a chestnut. Loki gestured toward the chestnut. "It is fortunate that you know how to ride. Horses are the common method of transportation here. Iriel will bear you." He added, "That man back there was Heimdall, keeper of the Bifröst, or gate to other realms. I asked him to avert his eyes this once. I'd rather your visit be kept secret. I honestly have no idea whether or not the authorities here would approve."

Iris grinned. "Same as on Earth. I'll try not to attract attention until I can change." She mounted up.

Loki swung up onto his horse too, saying, "Even then, at least some degree of secrecy might be advisable. I suppose that I should tell you now that I am the younger son of King Odin, and rumor travels fast within the palace."

"Ah," said Iris, momentarily stunned. "Well. No wonder why you have such an annoying older brother."

"Heirs to the throne are like that."

Then they were galloping at breathtaking speeds across the bridge, to the mythical island of Asgard.

They'd taken many side streets before Loki slowed his horse. "Here," he said. "This is a forgotten entrance to the palace."

Iris had been so busy staring up at the magnificent shining structure shooting straight to the heavens that it took her a second to see the small wooden door staring her in the face. They put their horses into two waiting stalls and Loki led her inside.

The palace was incredible, graceful and rich, but not grotesquely frilly and curly like so many older European castles could be. They made their way through the deserted halls, avoiding any passages through which conversation could be heard.

"I left the feast early," said Loki, listening at a door before waving her on. "Luckily, most people in the palace are still occupied." Many parts of the building were indoor-outdoor. Loki led her through a small arched side doorway, down a few steps and into a stone passage lined on one side by doors and windows. The other side was open, the view over the short wall leading out to a lake. She could see the glassy surface reflecting the bordering willows, and the sky as it grew pinker and darker.

She was established in the room at the very end of the hallway, if you could call it that. The area that she first entered into held a wooden dining table and chairs, as well as a fireplace. A second room leading off to the side held a bed and wardrobe.

"I hope you'll be comfortable here," said Loki, unsurely. "It was the best that I could find that is still relatively secret…"

"Loki," said Iris, amused, "you have no idea how incredible this is. I'd be perfectly fine sleeping in a tent outside, but seriously, this? The only regret I have is that _I _couldn't give you anything like this when you came to Earth."

Loki smiled. "That was a little shorter notice. As long as you're comfortable. We have formidable cooks here, so you'll find food waiting in the morning. The cover story that I've given the servants is that you're the daughter of an old family friend, visiting from a distant village. You shouldn't be bothered."

"You've gone through a lot of trouble just to show an Earth girl around."

Loki inclined his head. "Just returning the favor you granted me, Iris. I should… see you in the morning, then. Sleep well."

"Good night."

He gave a small nod and strode out, shutting the door behind him.

Iris explored every inch of the room, relishing the lack of anything machine-made. The clothing especially fascinated her. An array of Asgardian garments was hanging in the wardrobe, undoubtedly arranged by one of the castle maidservants, and they were beautiful.

She dressed in the sleepwear and lay awake for hours. Even when she got up to open the window and noticed dawn's first light beginning to steal over the treetops, she was wide awake. Finally, she clothed herself in durable trousers, a leather belt and boots, and long-sleeved indigo tunic. Combing her hair and putting it back, she sat on the edge of the bed and awaited dawn.

She heard a noise from outside in the main room, and peered out to see someone, presumably a servant, exiting by a side door. This was the only aspect of Asgard that made her wary. She hoped the servants were treated and paid well.

She found warm bread and fresh fruits waiting on the table, and she fed herself. She was nibbling on an apple when there was a knock on the door.

_It's me_.

She smiled and opened it to find Loki standing there. _It's nice to know that I'm not about to open the door to some random person who's lost or something._ Then she spread her arms. "So how do I look?"

Loki grinned back. "It suits you. Have you eaten?"

"Just did. So what are we doing today?"

"A… how would you say it…? 'Crash course' in Asgardian life. And actually, I've been meaning to ask. Women aren't usually taught to fight, but they can be. Do you have any interest in the skills of weaponry?"

Iris's eyes lit up. "Do I ever."

A few minutes later Loki was pushing open the door to the armory. "My father once told me that you can put a sword in any man's hand and teach him to fight. But let him choose his own weapon, and he will become a force to be feared. You can look through there, and see what fits you."

Having never browsed for a dangerous weapon before, Iris was a little overwhelmed. Bows and arrows, spears, pikes, axes, short swords, broadswords, cutlasses, rapiers, staves. She took her time searching. Then something occurred to her. "I take it then that traditional sword fighting was never your thing then?"

"What makes you say that?"

"The 'choosing your own weapon' line."

Loki seemed disgruntled. "Yes, so I've found. Open combat in general. I've built my skills now, but I've had to work for it. And I still favor using magic or words to fight or escape. Diplomacy is easier and causes less bloodshed, but still, others like Thor who possess mighty skills in battle are the ones to be revered."

Iris had never been to a public school, but she got the general impression of the brainiac being the brother of the jock. The quiet versus the bold, smart versus brawny. "Well, your father is a wise man."

Loki was quiet and Iris pulled a sword off a rack. It had a certain semblance to the Japanese-style katana, a graceful structure that caught her eye. She unsheathed it and hefted it experimentally, finding it to be well balanced, and relatively light. It would be controllable, but needed strength of the wielder. And it also needed a partner. She pulled the matching blade off of the rack as well. They both seemed to fit her hands perfectly. She sheathed both of them and pulled their scabbards off the wall, buckling them to her belt.

"Do you even know how to teach me to use these?"

"Well enough."

They found their way back to the horses, and Loki led Iris through the city streets. It was like the village that time forgot, on a much larger scale. A huge, golden Minas Tirith. Iris looked around at the people walking and laughing, the vendor stalls and brick and wooden shops. They headed into a more reclusive part of town, past some guards, and stopped at a stone archway. Through it, Iris could see an arena of hard-packed dirt. It was small, fenced in by tall stone walls and with a tree with widespread limbs fanning out of one corner.

"This one is almost never used," said Loki, swinging down from his horse. "We shouldn't be bothered.

And so Iris received her first ever sword lesson. Loki told her to not focus on memorizing technique or form, but to trust her instincts. He would show her an attack, she would block, and he'd correct her blade positioning and stance. He'd be in a defensive position and ask her how she'd attack, then show her how to maximize efficiency.

Iris was surprised how quickly she learned, and how naturally it came to her. After the sword lesson, Loki showed her the palace library, and taught her about Asgardian culture and writing. She was eager for knowledge and caught on just as quickly. She also liked the quiet and serenity of being among stone shelves filled with scrolls and old volumes. She flipped open one text to a random page and scanned through a line of Asgardian symbols.

"Alone on the… frozen… b—no plains," she read aloud. "The flame of the warriors' campfire… burned brightly, through—through Jotunheim's cold… darkness." She closed the book exasperatedly. "Well, at least it's not learning an entirely new language. I'll get the hang of it eventually."

"You're getting the hang of it faster than Thor did," said Loki. "It took him several months to get his entire alphabet straight."

"And you?"

"Reading fluently in a week."

Iris laughed. "I can't even remember how quickly I picked up the English alphabet, I just remember reading a four-hundred page book at around seven years old… that was a real monster—"

She was cut off by a loud and raucous laugh out in the main aisle between shelves, followed by many more and the sound of tramping boots.

Loki swore softly. "It must have begun to rain," he said in a low voice. "Otherwise the warriors would all be off doing… whatever it is they do…"

"—and then, I said, 'Go on then!' You should have seen his face when I defeated him so easily!"

"Oh come now Golfrinn, he nearly had you until the ale got him."

"He never did! I tell you—"

The loud voices had stopped somewhere halfway down the library, and by the sound of it, the group of young and boisterous men was planning on staying awhile.

Iris got up from the round wooden table that they'd strewn with various texts, and peered around the bookshelves. They all had their backs turned to their side of the library and were arguing loudly and obnoxiously. "If you tell them to leave, do they have to listen to you?" Iris asked curiously.

"But using my authority doesn't win me any respect," said Loki, a mischievous smile starting to creep across his face. "Watch."

She did watch as the members of the gang tried to outboast each other, claiming various feats of strength and courage. Loki was sizing up the situation. Then he extended his hand and a several pieces of curling ironwork on the ceiling started to writhe. They dropped to the floor in the center of the assembly and Iris realized that they'd turned into a small pack of cobras.

The men all screamed and scattered, looking and sounding more like little girls than brave knights. They ran through the bookshelves yelling "Snakes!" until not one was left to be heard in the library. Apart from a little theatrical hissing towards the beginning, the snakes had only wandered around in small circles, seeming bored. Loki waved his hand again with a quiet chuckle and they all disappeared.

Iris was shaking with silent laughter. "That," she said, wiping her eyes, "was the most entertaining thing that I've seen in a long time." She gave Loki an approving grin. He returned with a crooked smile that clearly said _I do that all the time_.

"Not always with snakes, or to them in particular," he added, and Iris realized that he had actually said that first part, mentally. "But it's always priceless and nobody _ever_ seems to learn." After a few more hours they carefully put away their documents and left the deserted library.


	3. Chapter 3

Hello. Thanks again for the positive reviews ^_^.

Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel/Thor/Loki/any of that stuff or related characters. Just Iris. And just because I haven't said it before, Stan Lee is awesome. As you probably know.

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On her third day in Asgard, Iris could read the symbols nearly fluently. She couldn't beat Loki in combat, but he told her that her sword skills were incredibly formidable. She'd gotten to know and fallen in love with the city and life in Asgard. And, she'd found a real friend in Loki. She'd never really had a chance before to meet good friends, and was enjoying the experience. He was intelligent and funny. Maybe a little too envious of Thor, but she was able to help him get over it. Plus, his cunning tricks made him endlessly entertaining to be around.

Except once, when he pulled a trick to frighten a servant. When he turned back to Iris he was met with a frosty glare instead of a laugh. He looked hurt. "What? He was laughing at me."

"So was I." They were in Iris's room, looking through a book of sorcery, which Loki specialized in intensely. The servant had been bringing food and hadn't even been meant to hear Loki's passing remark about not being able to lift Thor's hammer.

"But I know that you mean it in a good-humored sense, almost everyone else in the castle just finds it amusing—"

"Loki," reproached Iris, "not only do you not know that, but he's a servant in the palace. He's doing you a service and has no chance of fighting back. Boastful knights I can understand. But someone like that?"

"Oh, all right," he said, looking slightly disgruntled. "I just don't like to take an insult lying down.

"Don't take the insult," offered Iris. "Laugh with them."

He gave a rueful smile of mock obedience. "As you say, Lady Iris."

"Oh, please," Iris laughed, giving him a small shove on the shoulder. Then she suddenly stood up. "Can we go back to the sword arena?"

Loki smiled, also getting up. "Feeling restless?"

"Yeah."

"Then let's go."

Iris was starting to practice dueling while using her psychic powers to help. Her mental capacity naturally allowed her a certain degree of awareness, bordering on precognition. But she wanted to learn to also use her telekinesis in a fight.

She and Loki dueled as the sun began to set, casting its light from lower in the horizon. She was able to defend herself well by parrying and pushing his blade away with her mind if he moved too fast, but she never once was able to break his defense.

They paused, Iris wiping sweat from her brow. "Can I call you 'The Iron Defense'?"

"No, call Thor that. It sounds more suitable for a larger person."

Iris laughed, but she'd noticed something different about his tone. It was more of a boy poking fun at his brother, devoid of the jealousy he'd shown so often in the past. Then she noticed Loki tense and swear, and also noticed the reason why.

"Loki!" a voice was calling genially from the archway. She turned around to see three armored figures, one large, one "pretty", and one grim. Her first impressions turned out to be quite correct.

"Who are they?" she whispered quickly.

Loki looked exasperated but not overly displeased. "My friends," he said back.

The three were entering the courtyard, and Iris got a better look at them. The one who'd called was indeed large, with a bushy beard, round stomach, and huge battleaxe. The second one had long, wavy golden hair and a close cropped golden beard. His armor looked like it was frequently cleaned and polished, and he had the most cocky and ridiculous smile on his face. The third was very grim-faced, silent but sure-footed, with his long black hair pulled back. He had a distinctly Mongolian look about him, even though this was Asgard and Mongolia didn't exist there. Go figure.

"Loki!" said the large one again. "We and Lady Sif and Thor have all been searching for you! We've seen neither tail nor hide of you over the past few days. So who is this young lady who appears to have been occupying so much of your time?" They were all looking at her curiously, raising their eyebrows at Loki. The handsome one gave Loki a huge wink, and if Loki ever did blush, Iris could have sworn that he did then.

"Iris, this is Volstagg, Fandral, and Hogun," he said, indicating the large, handsome, and grim ones respectively. "Warriors three, I present Lady Iris, the daughter of an old family friend. She was visiting the area and I took the liberty of teaching her the art of the sword. As for the rest of the time, you simply mustn't have been searching very hard."

"You were probably in the palace library a few days ago, weren't you?" said Fandral with a knowing look. "I should have guessed the moment those men ran out screaming about snakes." But then he turned to Iris and stepped forward, lifting her hand and kissing it in the fashion of Asgard. "Any friend of Loki's is a friend of mine, sweet lady." Then he gave _her _a wink. "And, of course, always welcome to have dinner with me."

_I'm rolling my eyes_, said Loki.

_Of course you are._

Then, struck by an inspiration, Iris smiled and lapsed into Asgardian speak—or as near as she could get it. "Fandral, I would accept your kind proposal, but on one condition. I'm in need of another person to practice my sword skills against, and so if you'd kindly defeat me in a swordfight first, then I'd be happy to dine with you."

Fandral raised his eyebrows around at the others with a look that clearly said _I like this girl_, then removed his cloak. "Very well," he said with a delighted grin. "But I warn you, I've been practicing my swordcraft for over a thousand years. How long have you been at it?"

"Three days," said Iris with the most innocent face she could conjure. "But duels aren't all swords and brawn you know." She drew her swords and gave a bow.

Fandral drew his sword and made an overly exaggerated leg, saying, "Interesting weapon choice for a beginner, Lady Iris. Why not start with a normal sword?"

"Because each man or woman should choose their own weapon," she replied. Holding her swords in a neutral defensive position, she began to circle Fandral.

He circled with her. "I tell you, though, Lady, that without first training with a sword, it's harder to learn to defend yourself against one, especially with a move like—this!" But as his sword flashed through the air, hers were already moving to parry. With a clash of metal on metal his blow was blocked and Iris brought her blades back into a defensive stance.

She gave another innocent smile. "You were saying?"

He looked slightly disbelieving, and now very curious. His next few moves were more complex, sequences of blows and feints designed to confuse and weaken. But with the steady rhythm and technique that she'd gained over the past few days, coupled with her ability to clearly see the attacks coming—with or without her powers—Iris defended herself almost with ease. Finally, he launched a salvo and they began sparring in real time.

Iris focused on defense, until she saw an opening to make a slash of her own. She realized at this point that making him defend himself kept his blade busier, so she made an effort to slip in a cut wherever she could. He was starting to look downright surprised.

Iris was wondering the best way to end the duel when she was struck by a sudden inspiration. She made several slashes forward, and he backed up. Iris smiled disarmingly and called out, "Mind that rock!"

"What?" said Fandral, looking down to find the rock that didn't exist. In his moment of distraction, Iris leaned forward and tipped him over, already overbalanced as he was. In a moment he was flat on his back, looking confused, Volstagg was roaring with laughter, and Hogun was looking perhaps a bit less grim.

She looked back at Loki to find him trying to hide an amused smile, with only some degree of success. _Nice_.

Iris turned back and offered Fandral a hand up. He recovered very gracefully from his defeat, shaking her hand and offering his compliments. "If this is what you've accomplished in three days, then in a few years I wouldn't want to be one to cross you."

"Perhaps you'll get that dinner another time, Fandral."

He returned to his place in the Warriors Three, Volstagg still chuckling. Then he stepped forwards. "Against a sword you may triumph, young miss, but what of a battleaxe? Could I make my own attempt at dueling for a dinner?"

"Why not?" said Iris. She had already been sizing him up, looking for the best way to take down someone large and with a heavy weapon. She already had her strategy devised when the fight started. His weapon was powerful, but large and slow, and Iris was easily able to dodge him. As he made a dash forward, she ducked under his arm, and turned, driving one sword through a loop in his bootstrap and into the ground with all her strength. His weight and strength pulled it right back out of the ground, but he lost his balance in the moment he was anchored and crashed to the ground, following in Fandral's footsteps. Iris carefully sheathed her sword and offered him a hand up. The hand was out of politeness. He took it, but got up himself. She wouldn't have been able to pull him up even if she'd tried.

It was Fandral's turn to laugh at Volstagg's defeat. Then they both turned to grim Hogun, pestering him to duel. After a while, he looked over and Iris gave a helpless shrug. "At least it would shut them up," she pointed out.

This duel, Iris was worried about. From the word go, she was at her limit, straining to defend herself against his flashing speed, strength, and grace. Both Fandral and Volstagg had their own qualities that made them defeatable, but Hogun was a different matter entirely. Instead of laughter, the others all became very quiet as Iris and Hogun performed a deadly dance around the center of the arena.

The little skill that she had let her survive. Pure luck let her win, with maybe a bit of logic thrown in. She'd accidentally managed to position herself with her back to the sunlight flooding in through the archway. Realizing this, she sprang aside with a deer's speed, sending a bright beam into his eyes. The half-second in which he was blinded was enough for her to perform a double disarm—using her two blades to send his mace flying. His expression hardly seemed to change as he shook her hand and accepted his weapon back. He just nodded grimly and went back to the others.

Dead silence had fallen in the arena. Then both Volstagg and Fandral broke into wild applause. "Bravo!" cried Volstagg. "Astounding, young miss! Just where did you say you were from again?"

"I _think_," said Loki, stepping in. "That perhaps we should soften your defeats in the tavern. How about it? Fandral? Volstagg? Hogun?"

"Only if I can buy a drink for our Iris here," said Fandral slyly.

Iris had caught on to Loki's reasoning, though. "Oh, no," she said. "Three duels have made me tired. I think that it's about time I returned to my lodgings. I thank you all."

Both Fandral and Volstagg protested vociferously, and Hogun even frowned a little. But when she assured them all that she had to be going, they (meaning the two that talked) left her with a clear message to stay around and join them soon in an adventure before being scooted out by Loki. When he finally got them out of the arena, he gave her a look that was amused, but also proud and approving before leaving himself.

Back in her room, Iris found the same young servant boy Loki had scared earlier clearing away the food. He looked up, startled at her entrance, and then averted his eyes and muttered a hurried apology, speeding up his work.

"No, please don't rush because of me," she said quickly. "I don't mind, really. I'm not even used to being taken care of like this. What's your name?"

He looked at her surprised, then said, "Fagin."

"Nice to meet you, Fagin. I'm Iris. And I do apologize for what happened earlier. Loki's a little oversensitive about being always second-best to Thor. He scares you, doesn't he?"

Fagin nodded, looking terrified.

Iris shook her head. "Well, I've had a talk with him and I hope he'll be better about it in the future. And just remember that his snakes won't actually hurt you. He likes playing tricks, but the tricks are harmless."

The boy nodded and gave her a weak smile. He seemed slightly more cheerful as he finished clearing up, and as he was leaving, Iris said, "Thank you for everything, Fagin."

He looked back and gave her a little bow. "My pleasure, Lady Iris."

So Iris moved to a stack of books from the library to read through as she waited for Loki to return.

She was flipping through a book of Asgardian folk tales when she sensed him coming back down the hallway. She opened the door from the couch just as he'd raised his fist to knock.

"So how were the drinks?"

He put his hand down and entered, shutting the door behind him. "I don't think we'll ever know. I didn't have any and the Warriors Three were all sleeping like stones by the time I left them in their rooms. Large tankards of the strongest drink in all of Asgard can do that to a person."

Iris laughed. "I take it that was your plan?"

"Their memory of anything that happened today should be fuzzy at best."

Iris was delighted. "No matter how much you talk about Thor being envied, I will never know how any warrior could survive without a brain like yours, Loki. Now get over here, I've been waiting for you to ask you about these stories. Are any of them true?"

Loki crossed the room, looking at her book. "No one really knows. They could be. Those illustrations are stylized, though. That's not what a frost giant actually looks like."

"Good. These stories are scaring me enough. No wonder people frighten their kids with them. So what _do_ frost giants look like?" She'd just finished reading a tale about a wandering warrior whose comrades were all eaten by frost giants. He eventually killed them all and took their treasure home to his poor family. It was a grim and only mildly successful attempt at a happy ending.

He sat down next to her on the large couch by the fireplace. "They look like people, more or less, with blue skin and red eyes. They have their own masterminds and peons. They just have a reputation for being bloody and vicious and otherwise, unpleasant. I think that the 'eating of the warriors' was an exaggeration."

"I hope so," said Iris, showing him the picture of the frost giant biting off a warrior's head. "I mean, blegh."

Loki laughed, then suddenly stopped, looking odd.

Iris was curious. "What, Loki?"

He seemed confused. "I just… recently I've been feeling strange…"

Iris frowned, putting out a hand to feel his temperature. "Like sick?"

"No," he said, but as she put her hand to his cheek he put up his own hand to hold hers there. He looked just as surprised as she did, at the action. They looked at each other for a moment. "Happy."

Iris shook her head, smiled, then leaned over and kissed him. When they broke apart, his face returned to its look of shock. He was, for once, at a loss for words. So Iris spoke first.

_Did that help you figure it out?_

They stared at each other for a dozen evers before he finally let go of her hand. The confusion and shock melted, replaced by an exhilaration and joy that filled every inch of Loki's face.

_I think it did. _

Then he looked at her curiously. _But what does this change? _

Iris took his hand back in hers. _It makes us not afraid of each other. _

They talked for the rest of the night, both of them learning that the other had never before been in love. Iris eventually drifted off, her head resting against Loki's shoulder, and he stay there with his arm around her shoulder until he fell asleep as well.

In the early morning Fagin reentered the room to set out breakfast and stopped dead in the doorway. He shook himself, did his job swiftly and silently, then moved in to take a closer look. Yes, it was Loki. And the Lady Iris. Excitement bubbled up inside of him as he exited the room, closing the door behind him.

He fairly ran down the corridor. "Gandroff!" he whispered loudly. He finally found his friend eating breakfast in the kitchens before taking his morning rounds. "Gandroff, you wouldn't believe what I just saw!"

"What? asked the other boy tiredly. "Fagin, if it's another black swan on the lake, you've already seen three."

Fagin realized that only a few servants knew about the special guest and that they weren't supposed to talk about it. That didn't really matter. Gandroff could keep a secret just as well as he could. But then he hesitated, the contents of the secret bouncing around inside his head. He remembered the kindness that Lady Iris had shown him earlier. She'd been as nice as King Odin.

And so he said, "Well I guess that makes four," and left to do the dishes.


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry that took awhile; I'm busy and working on something new. Do you like Batman?

Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel or any related characters. Iris is the only one that's mine. Plus I made up Fagin and Gandroff.

Enjoy Chapter 4!

* * *

Loki awoke and wondered for a brief second where he was. Then he remembered and looked down at Iris sleeping next to him. He smiled, gently removing his arm and laying her head back onto the couch. Getting up, he didn't even notice the food on the table as he left silently.

Once he was back in the main corridors he nearly ran into Thor.

"Brother!" Thor cried heartily, clapping him on the back. "Where have you been these past few days? You've barely made an appearance, and Lady Sif and the Warriors Three have been restless for a good adventure."

Thor was extremely surprised when Loki clapped his back in return. "Just taking some time to concentrate, Thor. I'm working on learning a new trick. You all can go on without me."

"Well, somebody's in high spirits," mused Thor. "Is your 'new trick' so rewarding?"

"Very," said Loki with a broad smile, and he strode off. Thor watched from behind, utterly bemused, before going to find Lady Sif and the Warriors Three.

Iris woke up, and once she'd remembered what had transpired the night before, she lay there unmoving, reflecting on it. Then she went about her morning business, unable to keep a foolish smile off her face.

The few days that followed were the happiest that Iris had ever known. She and Loki did what they had done before, but now did it without any hesitations or doubts. They practiced combat and studied scripts. They rode their horses through the forest, exchanging banter and endlessly discussing their two worlds. And all the while, Iris was burning with an unquenchable joy.

On the end of her eighth day, Iris had finally gotten the hang of using a bow. She and Loki were back in her room as they were at the end of most days, reading more books from Asgard's endless library. She flipped open a spellbook to a page describing how to conjure fire and sighed. "Do you think that any mortal could ever gain the ability to use spells?"

Loki shook his head, but was grinning. "Probably not, but think. You can already wield swords and the bow. You have telepathy and telekinesis, which are like spells in themselves. I think, Iris, that you don't even need it."

"Oh, all right, but it would be fun."

She was quiet for a few seconds, before saying, "Loki, I think that I'm going to have to leave the day after tomorrow. Early in the morning. If I don't go back to Earth soon, people are going to notice and become suspicious."

Loki looked up at her, then closed his book and set it aside. "What if you stayed here, on Asgard? We could create a back story for you, and stop hiding you, and you could live here as one of us."

She looked into his eyes and voiced the only thing that had caused her pain over the past few days. "For how long? Loki, you're an immortal. As far as we know."

He took her hand. "As long as all the magic in Asgard allows, which is a considerable amount of time. All I know is that I want you here."

She thought for a second, then said, "I wouldn't want to attract suspicion on Earth. If I went back to Earth for a month, maybe, that would be more than enough time. To say goodbye and tie up loose ends and whatnot. Then I could disappear and hardly anyone would notice."

Loki encouraged her. "It would work. I could reopen Bifrost for you, if you gave me a time and day."

Iris smiled and threw her arms around him. "Then I'm coming, Loki, and I'm going to stay as long as I can."

They laughed and embraced, and when they broke apart, Loki drew something from his pocket.

"I asked the silversmith to take a week off a couple of days ago," he said. "I wanted to make this for you."

He held up a pendant on a silver chain. It was a graceful leaf, made of a dull but shining stone that resembled jade with silver detailing. He placed it in her hand and she stared at it in awe, turning it over to find a tiny rendition of Loki's mark squeezed into the corner. She flipped it back over. "Loki, it's beautiful. Thank you."

"I'm glad you like it."

"You thought I wouldn't?"

"Well…"

"There are some women who are picky about their jewelry, Loki, and others who can tell when something is truly beautiful and, what's more, deserves to be beautiful. And I think you know who I am at this point?"

Loki laughed. "Yes. Also, it carries a charm. As long as you wear it, it should help protect you."

"That is amazing. So you put the ethereal essence into the silver?"

"You read the alchemy book. When?"

"When you were asleep. In fact, as you should be now. Have you noticed the time?"

Loki pretended to pull a face. "You're like my mother."

"Good. It means I care. I'll see you tomorrow then?"

Loki shook his head ruefully. "Don't stay up too late."

Iris laughed and gave him a kiss on the cheek. After he'd left she flipped the alchemy book open again and found the page where she'd left off.

"Brother, you've been like a crow in the night recently. We all know you're there, but we haven't the faintest idea where you are. Is this new magic taking up so much of your time that you neglect your friends and all the adventure that there is to be had out there?"

Loki had been stopped in the corridor by a suspicious Thor the next morning. "I nearly have it brother…"

"No, no excuses this time. We're going back to Nornheim, but to a different area to track down a creature threatening the villagers. You're coming, whether you like it or not. All study and no battle makes for a dreary prince indeed! Meet us outside the gates in an hour, Loki, and don't be late!"

Thor waved away Loki's various protests and strode off down the hallway, cape billowing.

Loki glared at Thor's retreating back and returned to Iris's room. After he'd explained the situation, she assured him that she could handle a day by herself. She had her swords; she had a horse; she had money lest she need it; she had food; she could survive. "You've stayed away from your friends for too long anyway," she said. "Go and have fun, and the next time, I'll be coming too."

"You can count on that," said Loki.

During the day, Iris managed to find the silversmith's vacated workshop. In order to quench her burning curiosity, she'd armed herself with materials from the market and various books, and got to work. Several tries and many hours later she succeeded in her task. She cleaned up carefully and left the shop exactly as she'd found it.

The sun had set before Loki finally returned from Nornheim. He told Iris about their successful bout with the monster. "I'm just glad that it didn't turn out like last time. I'm sorry that we had to let this day go to waste."

"It hasn't been wasted yet, Loki," said Iris. "Come with me."

"Breaking curfew, are we?"

"Of course."

The two of them left fairly easily, there not being too many people roaming the halls. Once they'd escaped the castle, they rode slowly through the city until they reached the lakeside. They talked with each other, as they had always done. Joking, discussing. Learning. What they had always both loved to do. The path they were taking meandered along the water. The lake lay to the left, while various buildings were on the right, interspersed with trees.

At one point, Iris stopped. "Here," she said, and dismounted. "Come with me."

She led him into a large gap between two buildings, were a grassy hill rose out of the ground. The top was level with the building roofs, so they could see much of the palace and the surrounding landscape. But Iris was looking up.

"Have you even taken time to just stargaze, Loki?"

"Sometimes. Not from the city, though."

The heavens of Asgard were the most beautiful thing Iris had ever seen. No pollution. Everything that could possibly be visible, was. Pulsing violet nebulae, jewel-bright stars scattered against the indigo backdrop as if by some giant's hand. Meteors passing through every few seconds, lingering in the night before fizzling out.

Iris's neck finally grew tired, and she lay down in the grass, facing the sky. "Come down here, Loki," she said. "It's easier to see. And you need to loosen up."

"I fought a monster today. Do I need to loosen up any more?"

"Yes."

He joined her in the grass. She took his hand, and they lay, watching the stars.

Iris finally drew something out of her pocket. "You inspired me, Loki. Took a few tries, but I got it in the end. I wasn't going to be outdone, either. This should heal you if you ever need it, minor scrapes that you demigods still somehow manage to get."

Loki looked at the pendant she'd given him. "Very finely done." The black and gold shape resembled a dragon's wing, with a fiery orange stone in the middle that looked like a dragon's eye.

"You don't have to wear it, of course. But you got me too curious."

Loki pocketed it. "Thank you anyway. Isn't there an Earth saying… 'It's the thought that counts?'"

"Yeah," Iris laughed. "The only way to justify giving a guy a necklace."

"Amulet," Loki corrected. "And one with magical properties, so trust me, the thought isn't the only thing that's counting here."

After that, both of them were plagued by a sense of finality. As they were walking back, Iris had to tell herself, just a month.

Sunset on the thirty-first day. Loki said that it was going to be the day of Thor's coronation, but he should be able to get away at some point while everyone else was busy. Heimdall would activate the Bifrost for him.

No cover story was the part of her plan that Iris was adamant about. She wasn't going to lie to everyone. She'd tell the people who needed to know, or deserved to know, where she was from. She could tell that Loki was disappointed about that, since he was such as good tale-weaver. But Iris didn't want to live a lie for the rest of her life.

Iris had taken only one picture with her camera, of herself and Loki. She'd get the picture printed, but leave the camera, and pretty much everything else, she'd decided. She'd use her month to come up with a suitable plan to disappear. Iris was still deciding between an "I'm moving" story and a false death. She didn't anticipate it taking that long, but she wanted to say goodbye, too. In a non-suspicious manner, of course.

She had thought the entire plan over by the time they reached her chambers. She said goodnight, just like every other night. After he'd left, she changed back into her Earth clothing and sat on the bed. Waiting. Just like the first night, she knew that she wouldn't be able to sleep even if she tried.

On certain nights, King Odin would roam the halls of Asgard's palace, unable to sleep. Tonight, his wanderings led him out, to the lakeside. He thought he'd heard the sounds of a horse earlier, but he must have been mistaken.

He stood under the willows, surveying the palace from across the water. The magnificent golden structure shot straight into the sky. All of the important rooms were at the top, but Odin was watching a tiny wing, right at the water's edge. It was abandoned, as far as he knew. So why had a servant just left one of the rooms?

Then two figures came along it, both shrouded in a sad sort of silence. Through the darkness, Odin could make out the silhouettes of a man and a woman. They were holding hands. But who in the castle…?

The woman opened a door and light struck the two figures. The woman was young, more of a girl really, and no one that the king had ever seen before. His gaze shifted to the man and he stared. Loki.

Loki?

King Odin watched intently, and saw the two exchange words. Then the girl reached up and kissed Loki on the cheek. Loki walked away and the girl shut her door. Everything was as still as it had been a moment ago.

The next morning, Odin slipped secretly down that hallway. He could see where he'd been standing across the lake, but when he reached the room the girl had gone into, it was empty. There were no signs that anyone had ever been there. But she _had_ been there. Who should he ask? The servants? Loki?

No, he decided as he returned to the higher parts of the palace. No one. Something very brief and extraordinary had just happened. But it was over. He would let this rest, until the day that it appeared again. If it did. The king swept by the dining hall where he saw Loki entering and being stopped briefly by Thor. Odin had watched Loki carefully throughout his life. He'd seen the way that he would talk to Thor and endure his proud and overconfident boasting. Then he would turn away, face melting back to normal, keeping his feelings to himself.

Today Loki was clearly preoccupied.

But until anything else occurred, Odin would let it be.

The parting had been swift. Loki had told Iris that he would take her back to Earth by a different route, since he didn't want Heimdall to become too suspicious. Not yet. Everything would be revealed in a month, but until then, they would say nothing. If no one knew, no one could prevent her from coming.

Iris had seen by now that Loki was very much a lone operator. He had a plan to get her into Asgard and for her to stay, whether or not it was allowed. Perhaps it was, but his plan avoided the trouble of asking, and—if it wasn't—arousing suspicion.

She was glad, still, that he was putting his plan-crafting skills to good use. She had immediately seen his jealousy of Thor. His tiredness of being the one brother known for tricks instead of battle, for not being the heir of Odin. Even if he didn't want the throne itself, he at least wanted others to regard him as an equal to Thor.

But when Iris was there, he was able to stop and realize that there were more important things in life. He wasn't constantly covered in that shadow as he was when adventuring with his friends. Iris could only hope that he wouldn't become too bitter again, during her absence. Being alone with Thor for a month could ruin everything. But as much as Iris wanted to come to Asgard, she had to clean things up on Earth. Say goodbye to her home planet. Leave a message somewhere that her sister might be able to find someday. Moving off-world is not done lightly.

Loki had found a secluded area, and worked for several minutes to produce a swirling portal in the wall. Glowing green, shimmering like liquid glass. Finally, tired but pleased, he looked up.

"A one-way doorway to Puente Antiguo."

"Thank you, Loki. I'm going to be back before you know it, okay? Don't let Thor annoy you too much."

"I'll try, Iris."

She hesitated, halfway to the portal, half wanting to say goodbye and half not wanting to, since that would make it seem like she wasn't coming back. "Well…"

He seemed to sense her indecision. "You should hurry before anyone notices your absence." He picked up her hand and kissed it in the Asgard fashion, as Fandral had. "Farewell. But only for now."

Iris was finally able to turn away. "I'll see you soon."

She stepped through the portal and onto crumbling dirt and dead grass. It was a clear New Mexico morning, with a cloudless blue sky and dry, frosty air. She looked across the flat plain at the town of Puente Antiguo, and the circus tents set up some distance away. She saw that one woman and her friend—Foster and Darcy?—the college students, who had been monitoring magnetic activity. They were far across the plain, in their van. Iris had noticed them with a little concern. They had been in the town for years, studying the strange celestial anomalies that occurred, and trying to make sense of it. Now, Iris was certain that what they were monitoring had something to do with the Bifrost. But she was also relatively sure that they wouldn't get any more data until the Bifrost opened again. Then, she would be gone, and they—if they gained anything they could make sense of—would be left with readings of an Einstein-Rosen bridge. A gateway to another dimension. And the scientific community probably wouldn't take too well to that.

Then Iris looked around. There was nothing behind her, no evidence that a portal had ever existed. So she pulled her jacket tightly around herself and started trudging across the earth. Before she was halfway to town, her mind was consumed with thoughts. How to disappear. What to do about her sister. And how well Loki would be able to keep his head with Thor's coronation coming up and Iris not around to stop him from doing anything mischievous.


	5. Chapter 5

Hello. This is where I have to relate some important info: this portion of the story is supposed to weave in and out of the events of the movie _Thor _(this first part actually takes place on the night of Thor's failed coronation). Therefore, if you haven't seen the movie, I suggest that you read the synopsis on IMDB before reading this. It will make a whole lot more sense if you do. If you've already seen the movie, then carry on.

Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel or any related characters (now including people like Nick Fury, Maria Hill, Phil Coulson, and Natasha Romanoff). Again, only Iris.

See you on the other side.

* * *

Iris was sitting on the ground, hands empty, no bags or any such accessories sitting beside her. She had nothing but the clothes she was wearing and the picture tucked in her pocket, as well as a small packet of ground coffee beans. She had spent the past month agonizing over her decision, and finally found the best way to disappear off the face of the Earth.

She hoped that the bloodstain, rattler with a crushed skull, and clothing threads would be enough to convince the locals of a lethal snake bite followed by the scavengers doing nature's disposal work. Gruesome, yes, but effective. People would have become suspicious if she'd started to sell all her stuff. She'd made her goodbyes to the people in the circus who'd been nicest to her, though she'd never really had any close friends among them. The circus caravan had left for new audiences, and she'd stayed behind in her trailer. Since the people in the circus had moved on and people in the town didn't actually know her, she hoped that no one would really question the apparent death when it did come.

She'd found no real lead on her sister, that she could act on. So she'd done her best to be creative. If her sister ever did try to find her, she would get the message that Iris had left.

Yes. She was ready to leave.

But she couldn't help but be bothered by those people who'd come to the circus a week ago. She couldn't help but wonder who they were, really, and what would have happened if she'd gone with them.

She recalled early that morning, when she'd been practicing moving and stacking empty boxes, making them fly this way and that, balance in impossible positions, float in formations. She used different objects during the show, but boxes were always lying around.

Sitting on the stage, surrounded by whizzing objects. It was very serene.

Then she'd noticed the ringmaster coming puffing up the stairs.

"There you are, Iris dear," he'd said, finally coming to a stop on the stairs and leaning, wheezing, on the rail. "I know that you're planning on staying here in New Mexico when we leave tomorrow, but I have to request a favor. Your act is always the best, you know, and still none of us are able to figure out the tricks that you use. It's seamless, and always impresses—"

Iris had coughed.

"Ah. Yes. To make a long story short, we've got some bigwig VIPS coming in tonight. So I wanted to make sure that you were on board for tonight's show and ask you for a really special performance."

"It's my last show, sir. I'll do my best."

While she was waiting to come on, she had seen the group of serious looking adults sitting in the special viewing box. She made sure that her performance was incredible and flawless, and left to loud applause. When she looked up, though, the people in the box were looking at her intently, nodding to each other. She was making her way to her dressing room when the ringmaster had stopped her again.

"Excellent performance, Iris. You impressed a lot of people, and the VIPs want to see you. Keep your costume on, and go meet them out front."

Jamming her indigo witch's hat back onto her head, she had exited the front tent flap into a circle of four formidable-looking people. One guy in a crisp suit. Two women, a dark-haired one wearing a bizarre navy blue uniform and a redhead wearing a white blouse, black skirt, and heels. The last person had easily been the scariest. He was a tall, dark-skinned man, wearing a long black trench coat and an eye patch.

"Well, miss Enchantress," the man with the patch had said, "that was quite a performance that you put on for us tonight. Any secrets that you're willing to tell us about your methods?"

"I'm afraid I can't say, sir. Tricks of the trade have to be kept secret, otherwise anyone could use them." Standard magician's answer.

"No miss. I don't think we could."

Not the standard response. They knew something. There was dead silence.

"Why don't you start by telling us your real name?" he'd continued.

She'd hesitated, but told them. "Iris. I don't have a last name because I never knew my parents."

"Well, Iris," the man had said, holding out his hand. "Director Nick Fury, from SHIELD."

Iris had shaken it, and was formally introduced to others. The redhead was Natasha Romanoff, the other woman Agent Maria Hill. The other man in the group was Agent Phil Coulson.

Iris was now completely on edge. "So why are you here?"

"SHIELD is currently looking for…special individuals, like yourself. You're younger than anyone else we've considered, but if you can do half of what you showed us tonight—we know that there wasn't any kind of system involved—you'd be welcome with us. I can't give you any more details until you tell us if you're in or out, and until we can verify your talents."

Iris had looked from one to the other to the next. Gifted individuals… there were more people like her, then? These were people who were telling her that yes, she had powers, and yes, she could use them without being afraid.

But of course she'd had to say no. In one week she was going to be out of there. She was sure that SHIELD could continue on without her.

"I know it'd be useless to say that I don't have these … gifts," Iris had said, looking at her hands. "But I'm sorry. I have other commitments. I want to stay here, and I have my reasons."

They'd all exchanged quick glances. Romanoff started to say something, but Fury cut her off. "All right, miss. But keep in mind that you might be hearing from us again." With a wave of his hand, he'd disbanded the group and they'd all started walking back to their respective cars.

Iris had turned around and ducked back under the tent flap. It was time to finalize her plans to leave Earth. The week passed quickly in preparation. The next thing Iris knew was that she was walking out of town into the New Mexican desert. She had arrived early. The sun, long past its zenith, was well on its way down to the horizon when she reached the spot, but not quite there. Iris had paced, and had eventually sat down. And so now she was there, waiting.

Another cold breeze blasted through, and Iris pulled her jacket more tightly around herself. She looked up from the ground to the heavens, then to the horizon. The sun was balanced on the edge now, like a round ball that finally reaches serenity on a flat surface. She watched it sinking.

It was gone.

And nothing happened.

Iris couldn't see the moon, since it was blanketed by a cloud, but she could feel the time passing. Ten minutes.

Twenty minutes and she saw Foster and Darcy pulling up in their van a good mile away. She was sure that they couldn't see her.

Forty minutes. What had happened? She closed her eyes and concentrated, trying to find their mental connection. But it wasn't there. Loki had shown her the small enchanted glass orb that he used to contact her. If he didn't have it… well, Iris wasn't strong enough to broadcast her messages across space. There must have been a problem up in Asgard, but there was nothing she could do but keep an open mind.

She tried to make herself comfortable as she continued to wait.

"We're going to Jotunheim."

Loki wasn't certain if this was as much as he'd bargained for, but it was keeping Thor angry. Keeping him angry would keep him off the throne. He was slightly regretting having come up with such a risky plan, but Thor had been too much. As long as he tread carefully, he'd still be able to activate the Bifröst for Iris. The king would hear of Thor's plans, and would stop them from reaching Jotunheim, and in an hour he'd still be able to get to Midgard—Earth.

But an hour later they had reached the Bifrost. After that, they were on their way, trekking across the cold waste of Jotunheim.

Iris had fallen asleep. She'd grown numb with the cold accompanying the cool, uneventful night. Something had happened up in Asgard. But what?

Iris awoke to Director Fury pulling her to her feet and guiding her towards a shiny black SHIELD car, which had pulled up behind her at one point. She hadn't noticed. She had been concentrating too hard. Waiting with too much intensity. Either that, or it had come while she was asleep.

"Whoever they are," said Fury gently. "Whoever you're waiting for, Iris, there's no sign at all that they're coming. We had nothing to do with this. All the same, I'm sorry. Will you come with us, now?"

"I should wait," mumbled Iris, stopping in her tracks, looking back at her footprints in the dirt "It's only been a little while, hasn't it—?"

"And how long are you planning on waiting, Iris? Think. You'll freeze to death, if nothing else. It's been four hours since sunset. Look, I'll make you a deal. I won't ask you too many questions if you come with us to join SHIELD. And if anything happens back here, anyone shows up… we'll tell you and you can go wherever you want. Okay?"

Iris stared at him as if with incomprehension before finally pulling the car door open and getting in. She took in Hill driving and Fury in the other front seat. The others who'd visited before were absent. But she didn't acknowledge Hill. She looked out the window, watching the spot until it had disappeared over the horizon. No one appeared.

She finally turned back to the general assembly of people in the car. Fury had turned in his seat and was looking at her. "So what _exactly_ are the gifts you possess?"

It took her a minute to register what he'd said. Then she told him, _telepathy_. "And some telekinesis."

Fury looked reasonably impressed, while Hill looked confused. "Was there a 'thing one'?"

_Should have made that a general broadcast. Telepathy._

Now Hill also looked impressed, maybe even a bit surprised for a member of a group assembling people with "special gifts".

Hill glanced at her in the rearview mirror. "Can you demonstrate? More?"

Iris hesitated. "Can I read your mind, ma'am?"

Fury cut in. "She's driving. Try me."

Hill protested. "Sir, I'm not sure that that would be completely—"

"Oh hush. Let her do it."

Iris focused on Fury's mind, searching through the information she found and penetrating deeper. He had a stronger mind than most; his secrets weren't fighting to free and expose themselves. But she saw enough.

"In answer to the question you're asking me, Director, I was born in a science lab, designed and bred to have these gifts. I escaped when I was six in a fiasco that I believe also freed my sister—different abilities, same egg mother. I haven't met her.

"I also know that you asked me that question because SHIELD regulation #64, under recruiting another to the Avengers Initiative, requires a place of birth of the subject and explanation of how the abilities unique to said subject were developed. You've seen two people trained, one exposed to gamma radiation, one build a mechanical suit for himself and were wondering what would come next."

Fury nodded. "You dig deep, young one. That could be the key to saving the world during an interrogation. How about your other ability?"

"I'm not sure how well that I could demonstrate that in a moving vehicle, small space, at night. Is it all right if I show you later?"

Fury gave her his assent, and Iris spent the rest of the fast trip staring at her hands in her lap, steeped in thought.

The car stopped and she looked back up.

"We'll take you to Manhattan for briefing and training," Hill was saying, as the rest started disembarking. "You'll have your own private room on the jet, where you can sleep. Your bags should already be there. We got some of your stuff for you, by the way. From your trailer. Everyone else will probably still think that you're dead, though, so no worries."

Too fast. Everything was going too fast. Four hours ago she was waiting for Loki. Now she was being taken to Manhattan, to work for a government agency. Maybe she should have thought it out more. She looked out the window to see a massive airstrip on which an obsidian-black jet was parked, lit by floodlights under the starry sky.

However, Iris was still unable to suppress her awe as she exited the car, looking over the runway. "Private room. Jet. Right. Do this all the time." Then, she looked back across the plain at the heartbreakingly empty sky. She was still here; she could still turn around. But she forced herself to board.

She was unprepared for the breathtaking takeoff, and the plush-and-velvet-and-technology room that she had to herself. She was used to the RV. She found a couple bags with her laptop and phone, clothes, some money, and a few other items from the trailer. So, she changed into pajamas and crawled into bed, managing to get her pulse to slow down. What had happened? Loki would have contacted her if it were possible … wouldn't he? Should she have waited? But no—she had no idea how long she would have been sitting there. She would have to count on Loki contacting her again.

But now, with these SHIELD people. She'd agreed to go with them, even though she didn't really know what they wanted. What had she gotten herself into?

With a pang she was back in the trailer, having had her first telepathic conversation with an extraterrestrial. She shook her head and lay down, thinking she'd never fall asleep but, due to extreme exhaustion, dropped off immediately.

She had no way of knowing that minutes after the takeoff, a monstrous storm had formed across the desert, and a man had crashed to Earth.

Loki knew that he wouldn't be able to get to Earth through the Bifrost, not now with Thor there. And Heimdall would see him trying to leave any other way. He would be keeping an especially close eye on everyone, now. He could always shield himself from Heimdall's eyes, but then he'd seem suspicious. And this was an exceptionally bad time to try and bring Iris to Asgard. So he made his way to his chambers as quickly as he could. He quickly found the orb and snatched it up.

_Iris?_ he asked. _Iris!_

He got no response. Apprehensively, he closed his eyes. Then he opened them again. He was in a dark room in a moving craft. As his eyes adjusted he noticed a bed, and then Iris's sleeping form within it. He breathed a sigh of relief. If she were in an exceptionally deep sleep, then she wouldn't be able to receive his message. But where was she?

He strode through the closed door and into a hallway. Walking along it, he saw a man with dark skin talking seriously to a woman with dark hair.

"…report from New Mexico, right after we'd left. Same area, huge magnetic storm, apparently. Coulson 's heading there now from Malibu while we get Iris back to headquarters, and I'll have to be ready to receive more information about that situation. You'll be in charge of her training."

"Sir," said the woman. "You _said_ that you would tell her, and this may very well have something to do with the person she was waiting for."

"I need to make sure that this end lines up first. If it doesn't then we'll have told a low security clearance personnel about classified information. Besides… I want her to stay at home base for at least a while first. If we can convince her to stay here, we should. Based on what we've seen from her, I don't want to let go of her unless we absolutely have to."

The woman hesitated. "All right, sir. Agent Romanoff is still stationed in Malibu, and you'll probably want to be heading back out there as fast as possible, so I've scheduled a jet to be ready and waiting at headquarters. These new reports about Banner confirm that…"

Loki moved on, but slowly. Thor. He had fallen to Earth in the same place that Iris had been waiting. And she _had _been waiting. He could hardly blame her for having left. But where was she going and why? And who were these people? They seemed like they were highly interested in Thor for some reason, but they didn't sound like they knew much.

What he saw next surprised him even more.

He stepped straight into the cockpit of a mortal flying contraption; a jet. The ground was passing by thousands of feet below. One man was operating the controls. He spoke into the mouthpiece.

"We should be arriving in New York in a couple of hours, sir."

New York? Maybe he didn't know a lot about the geography of Midgard, but Iris had told him enough. New York was on the other side of the country. He strode quickly and purposefully back through the hallway, into Iris's room. Walking forward, he knelt at her bedside.

"Iris, can you hear me? Please don't give up. I didn't mean for this to happen. I _will_ return, but I have to—to see something first." He glanced again at his arm, where the blue chill had spread over it. It looked fine. "Once everything is sorted and settled, I _am_ coming back."

She stirred, but was quickly still again. Loki bit his lip. A theory was starting to form in his mind, and it wasn't one that he liked. But if she did love him, then she wouldn't give up. And she would still love him, even if he was—

Loki quickly opened his real eyes and set down the orb. His friends were probably already becoming suspicious, and would be wondering where he was. After that, he had to see. One way or another.


	6. Chapter 6

Before I posted this, I wanted to say something about_ Xenith Rise_. While it is technically a romance, I'd like to point out that the romance is not its main focus. First and foremost, this is a superhero origin story. So be careful what you expect... it may not be what ends up happening.

And disclaimer, folks... Marvel ain't mine.

* * *

Iris only slept for six hours, but felt refreshed. She realized how grimy she was from squatting on the ground for so long, and she mentally compared herself to Hill's impeccable suit, wincing at the image. She washed and dressed to be presentable, even if she didn't have anything fancy to wear like the others. Her darker, non-frayed skinny jeans. Clean converse hi-tops. White V-neck with the flaring sleeves. She even brushed her hair, and put it up the way she had in Asgar—

She wished she could kill her brain, but she couldn't.

Still, Iris had made several decisions. First and foremost, some complication up in Asgard had prevented Loki from opening the Bifrost, and it was probably stopping him from opening any other door as well. These SHIELD people would give her a home and a job until Loki made contact again. So she'd go along with them for now. The other thing she knew for certain was that there was nothing that she could do expect keep an open mind and wait.

She opened the virtual blinds on one of the large windows in her room, and she marveled at the sight of orange dawn-light beaming over the thin cloud layer. Sleepy cities wreathed in mist drifted by below. She wondered why they weren't in New York yet, since the jet could have gotten them there an hour ago, easily.

A knock at the door. Agent Hill. "We have food waiting if you're hungry."

She left the room and was ushered down the carpeted hall. "We're only halfway through the Midwest," Iris noted.

"We're taking the scenic route. We all need some time to unwind." Hill brought her to a dining area with more huge windows and moved around the table to sit next to an exhausted-looking Fury. Iris took an apple from a dish in the center of the table, but only turned it over and over in her hands as she sat down.

"Where're Coulson and Romanoff?" she asked.

"Coulson's traveling," Fury said. "Romanoff's in Malibu. Now, we need to debrief you on this situation.

"It's called the Avengers Initiative. SHIELD is putting together a team of…different… people to help save the world if the world needs it. Since you're younger, you probably won't be taking as direct of actions—"

"Hey, what?" Iris was indignant. A more normal person might have been preoccupied with the "saving the world" statement, but at this point, that didn't surprise Iris in the least. She was more offended at the thought of her age restricting her to smaller tasks. If she was going to be waiting, she might as well have some fun.

"All right, well maybe we'll rethink that. The point is that we need people with special gifts to do the jobs that normal humans can't. We heard of your abilities and thought we'd investigate. Any more background information required, do you think, Agent Hill?"

"I don't think so sir."

"Then I'd formally like to welcome you to SHIELD, Agent Iris. Put that apple down and get some real food in you, you're going to need it."

Obediently, Iris set the apple down and loaded her plate with eggs and sausage. The only time in the circus when she got food like this… never mind. She didn't. Microwavable breakfasts couldn't touch this.

As she ate, she was informed that her training would start immediately after she arrived at the facility. Any odd occurrences could be immediately considered as SHIELD tests. All of the other people considered for the Avenger Initiative were pre-trained, so she was their first pupil. She'd need to learn how to use her powers for offense and defense. Maybe a bit of weapon skill too, for close combat.

She nodded throughout, and the Director wrapped up with a "You can head back to you room and prepare for arrival, someone will see to your plate and get your stuff. We should be arriving in a few minutes."

Iris returned to her room to now see the golden morning light hovering over a huge city, which had crept over the horizon while she ate. It grew larger at a rapid pace, was soon flashing underneath her, and in a moment was still. Iris was breathing hard. She'd performed at some interesting places, but this was the first time she'd ever been to a big city. Or out east at all. Or to a SHIELD base. First time for everything.

She nervously left the room and exited down the ramp of the plane in silence, interrupted only by the metropolitan buzz of chattering, honking, and bustling coming from below them. They were on a roof. She could see maybe two or three other people up there too doing odd jobs, and a helicopter sitting on a pad, but that was it. The agents glanced up curiously, nodding to the Director or Hill, before looking Iris over with raised eyebrows.

They entered a steel elevator at the edge of the roof that started to descend, before changing direction and moving backwards. Then it started moving up again. Iris looked up. "Fancy."

No one else said anything.

When the doors finally opened, they all stepped out into a vast chamber. It looked like storage, to Iris, a labyrinth of crates and boxes with only a small area of clear floor up front. It was easily four stories high, with a metal catwalk ringing the walls above them, and doors leading off of that. Somewhere amid the piles of boxes a ladder could be seen to lead to the catwalk.

Iris was already tensing when Fury said, "This is where you start. You _are_ ready to begin training, aren't you?"

Without waiting for an answer, he and the others drew back into the elevator, and as the doors shut she heard him speak again.

"Good."

With that, the lights went out, plunging the entire room into complete darkness.

Iris immediately backed up to the door. Not to try and escape, but to keep her bearings in the blackness. She'd need it to run. She could already sense a crowd of people—maybe ten to twelve—in the room with her, starting to surround her. Ten minds filled with thoughts.

The lights came back on and Iris found herself ringed by a group of ten masked men all with guns trained on her. She looked at each one. Then she grinned, shoved two men out of the way with her mind, and sprinted out of the circle.

She could hear some surprised and angry yells as the men clicked their jammed weapons. As she fled down an aisle of boxes, several of them split up to pursue. She knew that she had to get to the catwalk to escape, but how? She had a feeling about the boxes…

She experimentally shoved over the stack of boxes to her right and felt that they were too light to support her weight, as she'd thought. They still managed to surprise the guys trying to get around her on the other side, though.

…nope. She'd have to do it the old-fashioned way.

She had a good sense of direction, and so zigzagged her way to the back of the room, keeping out of the guards' ways if she sensed them heading in her direction. She couldn't hear anyone chasing her anymore, which she took as a bad sign. They would all be grouped somewhere, waiting. Then she noticed a change in the boxes. Newer ones, wooden ones, filled with… what?

She opened one. Weapons. Another test of ability, another sneaky way of exposing her skills.

The weapons were old and new, all different types and shapes and sizes. She had never shot a gun before in her life, so she sought out two short swords. They weren't exactly like _hers_ but they would do in a pinch. Like now. She grabbed them, turned the corner, saw the ladder, and also saw the three guards at its base who'd switched out their jammed guns for swords as well. Longswords. But they still had a lot to learn about her.

She was glad that her blades were unsharpened, because she might have hurt someone otherwise. She went to work, neatly disarming the first and knocking him out; parrying a couple blows from the second and hilt-bashing him in the face. Broken nose, by the sound of it. Oops.

The third pulled a couple of moves that kept her busy, but she disengaged his weapon in almost no time at all before knocking him out like a light.

She shoved both swords into her belt and scaled the ladder, hauling herself up and sprinting across the catwalk. She'd almost reached the double doors with the green exit sign hovering over it, when a closer door burst open and the rest of the team came swarming out. She quickly pivoted and slid into a closet, shutting the door. It would in no way hold them, but it gave her time to collect her thoughts. She decided to try the trick she'd been working on for a while.

The door was flung open and Iris quickly yelled "Stop!" She put up a hand. "This isn't the girl you're looking for!"

The man lowered his weapon (a club type thing—seriously, they were getting creative) and looked confused. The others started scratching their heads.

Iris edged past them all, trying not to laugh despite the headache she was starting to get. Once she'd finally broken free she was rocketing away again.

They only started to get what was going on after she'd shut the exit behind her and slid one of her swords through the two pull handles. She turned around.

Dang it.

She was on top of a tower-like structure, pretty small, with no exit route. She could see the roof that they'd originally landed on several stories below her, and there was no way off of that, either. Wait, no. She glanced up sharply. The helicopter. There had been a man once in Colorado… a pilot who'd asked to take part in their circus while they were there. A side attraction, where he'd take visitors up for a while. He'd shown Iris the basic controls and she might be able to pilot it.

She wasn't sure if SHIELD would appreciate her taking their stuff, but hey, it was a test.

Glad once more that the blade was dull, Iris put her sword over a cable that led from this roof down to the one below. She grabbed onto the blunt end and leapt down.

She had slid down maybe a quarter of the way when she looked back and saw one of the guys cut the cable. The next thing she knew, her heart was rising and she was plummeting. Seriously, what did they think they could do if she _didn't_ have the ability to stop herself? They probably had some clever backup plan. But Iris decided to do her own thing.

With all her remaining mental strength, she started to slow the fall. She felt herself losing speed, and starting to curve, heading towards the roof at an angle. At long last, she hit the roof at a roll. She felt her skin scrape open in a couple of places, but she was alive. She sprang up and ran as fast as she could for the helipad. She had learned how to bypass tough computer security, and knew the controls. She might make it.

"Hey!"

Meh. There was a guard. He had been behind the helicopter, but was now running towards her aiming yet another gun. Her head was seriously burning, now, so no more jamming. Instead, she turned around, grabbing the severed cord and dashing to the edge of the roof. Close to the ground? Nope. At least, what… fifteen stories up? No, more. Never mind. Iris did a quick lasso-type movement to get the cord where she wanted it, felt a projectile of some kind whistle past her ear, and leapt over the edge.

It was her classic circus act. When the cord is hanging over the roof in one place and you're in another place, and you jump the right way… anyway, swinging was second nature to her. Maybe not this high up, with no net, but she had the motions down. She swung across the side of the building and back up, with the aid of a small mental push that sent pain shooting through her skull. Still, she was on firm ground. She rolled behind a metal vent, peering out at the guard. Back turned to her, he was running to the helicopter, using some sort of hand device to activate it. He was coming after her, probably. To help or to demand surrender, Iris didn't know. She just knew that she didn't need it.

The guard turned around at a noise to have the daylights knocked out of him with the hilt of the sword that Iris had picked up on her way over. Sliding into the cockpit herself, she found everything on. Everything ready, awaiting her command. A roof hatch burst open and more SWAT-looking figures started swarming the roof. Iris smiled grimly. _See you, suckers_.

She was about to take off when her flight readings screen suddenly changed. Nick Fury was looking approvingly at her.

"Quite impressive. You have all the skills that you really need, we just need to build on them. Your test is over, so don't go stealing any of our stuff."

Iris killed the engines and climbed back out of the cockpit, chest heaving. The guards all gave her the thumbs up before they poured back into their hatch, taking the unconscious one with them. Soon, Nick Fury and Hill were disembarking from the elevator and crossing the roof.

"I've got to go now," said Fury. "I've got business in Malibu, and there's another situation that popped up. I have to be on standby to receive the intel. I expect to hear that you're working hard when I get back, Agent Iris."

"What situation?" asked Iris.

"Classified info, miss," said Fury.

"Even for an Avenger?"

"Junior Avenger in training. So, yes."

"Well, let me know when I graduate."

Fury smiled amusedly. "I will. Agent Hill will take you to your quarters, give you your last bit of information, training schedule and whatnot. You can go down into the city whenever you're free. But your first class is tomorrow at 0900, so don't be late. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like a private word with Agent Hill."

"Of course, Director," said Iris, stepping forward and opening the elevator doors. "Good luck wherever you're going."

As the doors slid shut, Hill immediately turned to Fury. "Sir, I am asking you to please reconsider. Forget the fact that you promised you'd tell her when anything occurred back in New Mexico, if she knows about this, she could be your most valuable asset here."

"If we tell her," said Fury, turning away, "she goes back there to investigate and we risk losing a good Avenger. I told you, Agent Hill, we'll see if this involves any type of…person. See if they were coming to get someone. If not—do you know how valuable she could be to our team? Trust me, Agent, we'll bring her in if we have to. But not a moment sooner."

"If she finds out that you've been keeping secrets from her, she's not going to be very happy."

"Then she'd better not."

Hill stared hesitantly after his retreating back, then turned to join Iris in the elevator.


	7. Chapter 7

Been a while since I've posted, and will be a while after this—finals week. Gotta love it.

Anyway, here's just a snippet (even if a very climactic snippet) more of Xenith Rise, but I'd like to tack on a few notes. We're fast approaching the end of the story. It's meant to be short, because all it is is a picture of Iris. Where she's from. This is her Rise.  
Also, just to mention again that you want to watch Thor before reading this, especially this part. If it's been a while, you might actually want to reread the last chapter as well... I should have put them together, as one chapter. I actually might. I'll most likely toy with the idea then put it on a shelf then discover it years later.

Thanks for the sudden influx of comments ^_^

Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel, or any related characters.

* * *

Loki was in shock. After getting his father—no, not his father—to the infirmary and learning that he'd fallen into the Odinsleep, and the chaotic aftermath had settled down, he was left to himself. His own thoughts. But all he could think about was the surname and appearance and parentage that he'd borne all his life. It was a lie. His whole life had been a lie.

He was a monster.

But he was king now. He could bring Iris. He just had to contact her.

But he was a monster.

What would she think of that? He remembered what she'd told him, about how the frost giants scared her. Would she judge _him,_ finally knowing what he really was? He finally picked up the orb and closed his eyes.

He was in a busy place. A café, like the one that she'd shown him while he was on Earth. People constantly swarmed through him, unaware that he was watching. It took him several seconds to finally spot Iris, ordering a coffee at the counter.

He approached her, but didn't say anything yet. He had to wait until she left the crowds, so that they could converse without looking suspicious. He observed her face and was happy to see that she seemed well. A little tired, but the kind of tired that accompanies satisfaction.

"Thanks," she said, to the boy behind the counter, who was handing her the coffee. Tall, brown-haired, with blue eyes. Any Earth girl would think him a looker. It immediately put Loki on defense.

"My pleasure," he replied. "Are you new around here? I don't think that I've seen you before today, and I know pretty much everyone."

"Yeah," said Iris nervously. "I just moved from New Mexico…umm…yesterday. You can imagine that the change was huge."

He whistled. "Dang. New Mexico to NYC in one day? Definitely."

Iris laughed, and Loki started to feel uncomfortable. The boy was looking at her with far too much attention.

Then the boy asked, "You know, I was wondering… would you like to go for a walk? I could grab a coffee too, and I could show you around, and stuff. I wouldn't mind learning a bit more about you, where you're from."

It was a painstakingly obvious of-course-I'm-not-asking-you-out moment. Loki had seen enough of them around Fandral.

Loki felt almost angry. Then he realized that Iris hadn't answered yet, and his anger started to melt into fear. She wasn't refusing.

Had she lost her faith in him that quickly? She was smart. She would have realized by now that certain circumstances had prevented him from coming. He was sure of it. But there was the other side too. There were women in all realms who acted as though they were in love, but always left quickly and with little remorse. Iris couldn't be like that. So why was she looking like she wanted to accept the boy's offer…?

The orb slipped from his nerveless fingers, and he whispered, "Well?"

Iris hesitated for a long second, before breaking into a relieved smile. "You know, I think that I would actually enjoy that. I've been pretty lonely recently. When does your shift end?"

He smiled back and pulled off his apron, hanging it on a peg behind the counter. "Five minutes ago. Come on, I know of a park nearby where it's a lot less crowded. Probably more like New Mexico."

"New Mexico is more than sixteen square feet," she said back confidentially, but they were both laughing as they walked out the door.

Loki never realized at what point the vision slipped from his mind, but he was looking down at the flagstones in his room, staring numbly at the glassy orb winking up at him from the floor. He stooped down and picked it up, turning it over in his fingers. What had happened? He had agreed to come for her… when? Yesterday. Yes, that was it. One day ago he had been prevented from going, and a day later she was going out for a coffee with some human pretty boy. Has she given up? Or had he misjudged her from the beginning? She had seemed just so… perfect…

Loki had never known love like this before. And so the heartbreak that he'd felt over Odin's confession was nothing in comparison. It was the type of crack that had no chance of healing—instead it froze over with an icy rigidity.

He strode over to the edge of the balcony and dropped the orb out. He didn't watch it fall the hundreds of stories down to the ground. He was sweeping back out of his chamber. He had more pressing matters to deal with, and couldn't let it bother him.

He couldn't let love bother him again.

Iris had received the last of her briefing from Agent Hill, and was told that she could do whatever she wanted until 0900, when her first class was set to happen. So, she'd decided to hit the city, grab a coffee, and see what life in Manhattan was all about. There was a Starbucks located close by, and she'd had the fortune of encountering the nice worker. At least, he was helping to put her at ease in her new environment until he'd asked if she wanted to go for a walk.

Iris had been uncomfortable the moment the boy made the request, because he was, quite obviously, asking her out. But then she hesitated, all the while hating herself for hesitating but not realizing why she was doing it. She loved Loki.

But then she realized how lonely she was starting to become. Over the past month, Loki had failed to show up, hadn't even contacted her, and she'd cut the few connections that she'd had. She needed a friend. Not a boyfriend, but a friend, and this was a good place to start.

She wasn't about to explain her whole mind in the shop, but decided that she could relate her real intentions somewhere more private. So, she said, "You know, I think that I would actually enjoy that. I've been pretty lonely recently. When does your shift end?" and a few minutes later they were walking on a path through real grass. The park was a tad larger than sixteen square feet, but still no larger than someone's backyard. They were alone.

He turned to her. "You know, you're really cute."

"Nick, please, stop there," she said. They'd exchanged names and some basic introductory small talk on the way. "This is what I wanted to tell you. I've already got someone… they don't live here, but I'm waiting for them. I truly am lonely, and I want to get to know people around here. I was wondering if I could be your friend. But I love someone else."

The disappointment in his face was clear, but he managed a smile. "All right. Friends it is." Then he added thoughtfully, "How long have you been waiting?"

"About a month."

"How long are you willing to wait?"

"As long as it takes."

He nodded with understanding. After that, they had a normal conversation. They talked about what TV shows they liked, what books they'd read. She got to use her SHIELD authorized cover story when he asked her about her school, saying that she took college courses online and through a few private institutes. She had to dodge his question about her parents herself, by saying, "Well, they pretty much live in a science lab in Seattle 24/7." She hoped that he never realized how literal that statement was.

She couldn't help but compare this conversation to the many she'd had with Loki. They'd talked about myths and magic, adventures, wars, and combat. Here she was talking about TV shows. It was another painful reminder of where she wanted to be versus where she was. Another thought as to what went wrong.

At the end they exchanged phone and email. "I'm meeting up with a group of my college friends on Friday at Pizza Hut. There's a girl who's majoring in Psychology who you'd probably like. Would you like to come?"

"I might be busy, but I'll see what I can do. Now I really should go." Iris checked her watch again. She was the one who'd initiated the end of the conversation. "I've got to get to my class by 0900—I mean 9:00."

"See you."

By the time she'd gotten through her first SHIELD lesson in martial arts—on time, and passing with flying colors—Iris was feeling on top of the world. But she knew that under the right circumstances, she could be more than that. She could be galaxies away.


	8. Chapter 8

This time I won't bug you with a beforehand comment.

Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel, or I would've gotten ahold of Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four and the X-Men by now.

* * *

Tony Stark was on the screen, looking—as usual—like he really didn't care about whatever Fury had to say. But the Director was able to predict what he was probably actually feeling at the moment. Under the cool exterior, he was starting to get annoyed.

"Director Fury, didn't we already kind of go over the fact that I don't want to be your consultant?"

"And yet you've helped us before. I'm calling to give you another job. The Avengers Initiative was put on ice."

"You got your hero team shut down? Good job. That doesn't really concern me."

"You remember Iris, right?"

"Maybe. I hear about a lot of people—"

"_Stark_." Fury started to get a headache, like he always did when talking to the head of Stark Industries. Stark was just getting tired.

"That little genetically engineered psychic you got last year?"

"Yes. That one. We need you to take her in."

Tony nearly spit out his coffee. "You want to give me a babysitting job? You boot me off the Initiative, get someone else, then expect me to take them in when your team gets shut down."

"Yep."

"Well, that's great. Look, I'm kinda busy, right now—"

"Tony, she can't stay here. What you've heard about her is only the surface. She is powerful, and she is dangerous. More people know about her abilities now. It's safer that she be somewhere else, somewhere more reclusive. Plus, we don't have anything left to teach her. Keeping her in Malibu is safer and better for her."

"Yeah, and I'm still missing the part where taking in a dangerous kid, who I've never met before, is beneficial to me at all." Stark was annoyed, though, that his conscience was starting to agree with Fury in the back of his brain. He changed the subject. "So how's your lab mutant doing?"

"If you must know, over the past few months, she's turned into a more humorous, smaller version of Agent Romanoff. Maybe without Romanoff's…unique skill set, but she has the gun and martial skills now. In addition to that, she's got wicked sword work and has tremendously developed her telepathy and telekinesis."

"Swords and magic. Sounds like Zelda."

"It's not magic, and she isn't anything like Zelda."

"And you would know how?"

"Tony, are you going to help out or not? This isn't personal. This is finding a safe place for a girl who may, someday, prove to be one of Earth's greatest heroines. She shouldn't be any trouble, she's getting a SHIELD salary and so you won't need to pay for anything, and we'll make sure that you get very paid well for it."

Fury would have crossed his fingers, if he was the type. But he wasn't, so he didn't.

Stark looked off-screen for awhile, then turned back. "Well, I guess, as long as you can afford my price. Tell her it's going to only be for a little while so I can make sure she's not going to be a problem first. And also, I want Diablo III."

"Tony—"

"That's the deal. Take it or leave it."

"You got it. We'll have someone fly her over."

He cut the connection and went off to find Iris.

It had been several months since her arrival, but her training had discontinued some month earlier. She'd exhausted their curriculum. Now she worked around SHIELD, doing odd jobs and the few assignments that had come her way, and leaving into the city to hang out with her friends in her spare time. Fury had only started to see a problem when Agent Coulson sent him a message.

"We had a little issue earlier, sir. Iris was browsing through some SHIELD files when she hit some classified information. We think that it ticked her off. She was starting to hack the database before someone noticed and reprimanded her. It was small enough that she decided not to continue, but we're sure that given time, she could have gotten in."

Fury had made a face. "Maybe having her around a plethora of SHIELD databases isn't the best idea. What was it?"

"The information on Steve Rogers and James Barnes."

"That's not very important, and she'll be able to see it later. But there are things in there that we don't want her seeing…" He rubbed his beard. "We don't have anything more to teach her anyway. It would probably be safer to have her farther away from SHIELD."

"I know that she's twenty, but I don't think it would be wise to let her go off on her own—"

"We can ask Stark to take her in."

"Sir, you know that he won't agree to that."

"Let me convince him."

The news that the Avengers Initiative was shut down settled the matter, instead of creating it.

Now, Fury found her reading a book in the main data room, moving devices and files around to the agents who needed them.

Fury watched as one agent's stomach gave a loud rumble. He turned red and started to get up before he realized that his apple had already zoomed across the room, parking itself on his desk. He gave Iris a wave of thanks and she nodded back with a smile. Then she noticed Fury standing in the doorway. He gestured into the hallway and she quickly closed her book, getting up to follow him out of the room.

"Sir?"

"The Avengers Initiative was shut down, Iris. You could easily stay here as an agent, but we think that for your safety and benefit, it would be best for you to relocate."

Iris was shocked. "Shut down? Why?"

"There are certain… other people who feel like it's dangerous and unnecessary. I only had a certain amount of say in the matter. Trust me, you're still an agent of SHIELD, and we'll call you in if we need you. But for now it's best that you leave. You'll be going to stay with Tony Stark in California as soon as you're packed and ready."

Iris raised her eyebrows, and said, "Stark? The volatile, self-obsessed one who's on TV all the time and told the world he's Iron Man? Just how did you get him to agree to that?"

"Reason and money. And he's agreed to do it only for a little while. We'll still be looking for a better location."

"I don't suppose I could convince you that I don't need a babysitter?"

Fury sighed through his nose. "We need you where we can keep track of you and keep you safe, Iris. You should know that. Don't forget what happened on your first assignment."

She would never forget. "All right, sir. I should be ready to leave by," she checked her watch, "1800."

"A plane will be waiting for you then."

"By the way, you're sure that nothing… out of the ordinary has happened out in New Mexico yet?"

"Iris, I would have told you if it had."

Iris hesitated. It would be so easy for her to use her powers and see for herself. Just a simple, telepathic truth-or-lie scan. But she'd promised herself that she wouldn't use her powers on the other agents. On top of that, she'd been bound by contract, and told that using her powers on the Director could get her expelled from SHIELD. And so she gave a grudging nod of assent. "I guess so." She held out a hand. "I'm not sure when I'll see you next. Thank you, sir, and goodbye for now."

He shook it. "Try to keep Stark under control."

She snorted and strode quickly off to pack.

It was getting dark by the time the plane landed, but the breeze was still a warm one. Iris was glad of this as she both strapped on her backpack and shouldered her bag. The air conditioning had made the jet almost unbearably cold.

A slightly chubby man in a suit was waiting for her on the tarmac, who introduced himself as Happy Hogan. Iris wasn't sure why; he seemed dead serious. Iris introduced herself as well, and as she did so, realized that she should probably come up with a last name for herself soon. Explaining to everyone that she didn't have one was becoming a pain. She'd pulled out "Rivers" to give to Nick, but that was only an improv cover. And it was based on a TV character. It was pretty lame.

And she most certainly didn't want to take the other option that she knew she had.

They had a silent car ride through Malibu. Then she caught sight of Stark's house.

"Holy sh— um… smokes," she said. "That's a big house. I guess the aerial images made it seem a little smaller."

Happy pulled up and killed the engine. He led her inside past tons of glass, expensive stone, exotic plants and woods, and water fixtures. Then he took her bags despite protests. "I've got these," he said. "Tony's in there, and he'll want to meet you." She entered the area to which he was pointing to see a central living space where Stark was reclining on a couch, talking with a red haired woman and dark-skinned man whom Iris had never seen before. Technically she'd never seen Stark before either, but from all the press and publicity, his face was very familiar to her by now.

Stark looked up. "So. Iris, right?" He stood up to shake hands with her, and continued. "This is Pepper Potts and Colonel Rhodes. Pepper, Rhodey, this is Princess Zelda."

"Excuse me?" said Iris with raised eyebrows, as she stepped forwards to shake hands with Pepper and Rhodes.

"Mini, telekinetic, telepathic, sword-wielding SHIELD agent. So, yeah. Iris. We have a room assigned to you. Pepper will help you get set up and tell you about general living info. The only rules are to not break anything, not bug me when I'm working, and not come downstairs unless I say you can. All right? Good. Bye." With that, he left, crossing the room and heading past a water-wall down a spiral staircase.

Iris looked after him. "Huh."

"Sorry," said Miss Potts, voice both kind and apologetic. "He can be like that, sometimes. Well, most of the time. Well… pretty much all the time. By the way, just call us Pepper and Rhodey, we don't stand on ceremony a lot. I'm Tony's personal assistant, and Rhodey's a friend so he'll be around a lot. If you need someone to actually have a nice conversation with, or have any questions, you can come to see us. Tony's just very… how to put it…"

"I don't really think that there is any way to put it," said Rhodey, shrugging and setting his drink down on the coffee table.

"I think you're right," agreed Pepper. "Hopefully he'll warm up eventually. Now, why don't you sit down and tell us about yourself. You're a psychic?"

They exchanged stories about who they were, where they came from. Iris dodged Rhodey's question about her sword training. She said that she learned at the circus.

At one point, Pepper said, "Oh, what a pretty necklace!"

Iris's hand shot to her throat and she realized that the chain had moved up on her neck and the pendant was visible. "Oh," she said, "thanks."

"Where did you get it?" asked Pepper. "That looks handmade."

"From a friend," said Iris. "A long time ago." She let Pepper take a look at it, admiring the front and then asking about the symbol on the back. Iris said that it was supposed to be a good luck charm. Then she tucked it back under her shirt.

"It's getting late," said Pepper. "I can show you to your room, now." They both said goodbye to Rhodey and Pepper led her down a hallway. She pointed out a metal device on the wall, next to a door. "Jarvis is an AI who runs the house," she explained. "Sometimes he'll reprimand you if you try to access rooms that Tony's locked up, but since this is your room, you can ask him to keep others out.

"You can ask him questions as well as any of us. You could have a better conversation with him than with Tony, actually. Anyway," she opened the door. "Let either Jarvis or I know if you need help figuring out the tech." Iris was reminded of her room on the jet, but on a larger scale. Glass, plush, sleek. Modern-style bed. Spectacular view of the ocean, in the day. This one had a bathroom and closet attached. Her bags were already there.

"I'll show you how to get food and everything tomorrow morning. Do you need anything?"

Iris smiled, amused at the "stark" differences between Pepper's kindness and Mr. Stark's departure. "I'll think I'll be fine, Pepper. Thanks for everything, and good night."

"Good night."

Pepper left, and Iris decided to try something out. "Jarvis?"

A smooth, computerized male voice came on. "Present, Miss Iris. Welcome to Malibu."

"Thank you," she said. "Is there any way that I can keep this room locked to anyone except me?"

"Consider it done, miss. Is there anything else that you require?"

"Thanks again, Jarvis, and no that'll be all." Iris was surprised at the level of sophistication of the AI. She had to stop herself from telling him "Good night".

"Good night," he said.

"Ah," she replied. "Good night." She poked around for a while, set up her few possessions, and finally managed to fall asleep.

"Well, Tony, I think that was pretty good. A little abrupt of a departure, but you didn't start ogling her or being… your usual charming self or anything, like I expected. In fact, you surprised me by just taking the job. Why did you?"

Tony Stark was staring down at a 3-D diagram of the engine of his favorite car. He didn't look up, but Pepper could tell that he wasn't actually seeing what his eyes were directed at.

"I knew a little bit about her and decided that she wouldn't be a big problem, and so I told Fury I'd do it. I didn't know for how long. But then I read her full file. Weird kid. No parents. Really young. I kind of get her. And there's no point in being rude to someone for no reason."

"Tony, you do that all the time."

"Maybe a little. Oh, I don't know. She doesn't deserve it, and like I said, I kind of just… get her."

Pepper set his coffee down on a nearby workbench. "Well, if you 'get' her, try talking to her." He heard the click of her heels going back up the staircase.

He suddenly realized what he was looking at and closed it. What had he been planning on doing, anyway? He couldn't remember.

"Hey, Jarvis? Do we have all of Iris's contact info?"

If an AI can sound incredulous, Jarvis did. "She's living in your house, sir."

"I know that, but I'd prefer to have other stuff—phone, email, address."

"Her phone number and email address were given to you by SHIELD earlier today. As for her address, I'm not sure if you correctly heard my previous statement."

"I actually did, I just have no idea what room Pepper put her up in."

"I'll mark it on your house schematic."

"Haven't had to use that in a while," he muttered.

He grabbed his coffee mug, reopened his engine diagram and went back to work.


	9. Chapter 9

Okay, heads up: I'm going to try something new. I'd originally made it so that this story took place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (Iron Man, Cap, Thor, and Hulk). I've decided that I'm never going to get anywhere that way. Therefore, I'm about to start to segue into a larger Marvel Universe. I"m going to stick mostly to the backstories that the movies give, but I'm going to incorporate other characters (Spider-Man, X-Men, etc.) as well as non-movie characters like Luke Cage.

Anyway, it's not happening yet, but just a heads up.

Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel or any related characters.

* * *

The next morning, Iris woke to the uncomfortable sensation of something stabbing into her neck. She pulled at it and realized that she'd fallen asleep on her necklace. She turned it over and looked at the tiny inscription on the back that was written in Asgardian script.

Just that one word, the mark of its maker_._

The necklace was what had given her hope over all this time. When she felt the most despair, she looked at it, and remembered. She didn't know what had happened anymore, and had considered asking to be transferred back to New Mexico. To at least be there, monitor the skies, keep track of anything that SHIELD might have missed. But she knew that they'd never agree, and it wouldn't really help at all, so she'd kept her mind open and done her best to busy herself.

She got dressed and went to find Pepper.

Pepper showed Iris where she could store her groceries and fix her meals, saying that she could always request food delivered like Pepper did for Stark (though she mainly referred to Stark's food system as "big and complicated"). Stark wasn't home all that much, Pepper said, and she was usually with him. Iris could go out into the city whenever she wanted to. It didn't really matter.

So, as soon as Pepper had finished, Iris packed her laptop and decided to hit the town. She had pre-requested a bike and one had been supplied, all shiny and new. She took the liberty of scratching up the paint-job with sand before she rode out.

It seemed like a typical California city; nice people stayed in their homes and gated communities, gang members hung out in the streets, tourists milled around foolishly. The locals probably thought that she was nuts for being out by herself, but she decided that if she'd learned to do anything, it was whip some serious bad-guy butt.

She finally reached a more busy area, with both residents and tourists walking around shops, restaurants, and the like, and nabbed her breakfast at a Starbucks. She realized that she was on the verge of being bored. Part of being a SHIELD agent in New York was that she always had something to do. Now, since she was still technically working for them, they were paying her a salary, so she didn't have to get a job, but she didn't have anything to do. Agent Hill said that they'd give her any small assignments that they could.

She wondered wistfully if there was a circus hiring somewhere nearby.

Locking up her bike, she explored the city until noon. It was huge, and reminded her of New York City, but shorter. In the vertical sense. Then she bought herself a sandwich and soda and set herself up at a café table. Nick was on Skype, as well as Jewel the Psychology major and Lena the aspiring designer. They were already engaged in a three-way chat. Iris quickly made it four-way.

"Hey guys! What kind of weather am I missing out on?"

"Very funny, Iris," said Nick sourly. "When the thermometer hit fifteen below I thought it was bad. Now it's down to -27 and you're still rubbing it in our faces."

"Seriously, girl," put in Lena, "I hope the heat down there _kills_ you in the summer."

"In short," said Jewel, "it's cold and miserable, and there's currently a three foot deep snowdrift outside. You just missed it. You're lucky that your plane didn't hit any. How's Malibu?"

"Probably golden and sunny," said Lena wistfully, "with turquoise water and malls and a bunch of hot guys. Am I right?"

"To be honest, it's kind of dead," mused Iris. "You get the water and sun and beach, but as soon as you head in from the beach you get a bunch of dead brushy stuff. It's like New Mexico. Everything green has to be constantly watered in order to live, and has been imported from somewhere else. I mean seriously, these people have to water their lawns."

They all snickered.

"I still wish you hadn't left," said Nick. "A surprisingly few number of guys are up for midnight games of co-op Portal."

"I can still do co-op Portal, even out here," Iris pointed out. "I can call you once I'm back at the house."

"Actually, Jeremy's having a party around four, so we're all going to be busy," Lena interjected. "In fact, I should probably be getting ready. It was really nice to see you, Iris! Girl, don't you _dare_ lose contact or I'm flying down there to haul you right back!"

She hung up.

Jewel rolled her eyes. "There's Lena for you. I actually have to finish typing some flyers for the Korean club before I can go out, so I should get to work on that. Keep in touch, Iris."

Nick was the only one left. "I don't even see why she's in that club," he mused. "She's French."

"Hey, the food is awesome. If I don't find a good supplier of japchae around here soon, I'll have to have them fly it out to me."

"Iris, why did you move?" he asked suddenly.

"What?" Iris said, startled.

"You told us that you worked for one of the companies in New York and that they transferred you to Malibu. But Malibu? That seems _really_ unlikely. Is there something, like, special about your position?"

"What do you want me to tell you?" said Iris with a sigh. "My job is more important that I said, yeah. I'm doing stuff for Stark Industries. They moved me here because they wanted me closer to the company head, but I can't say any more than that. And you can't either. Okay?" SHIELD had briefed her in her cover story, her deeper cover story, how to come up with new covers on the spot, and when she could reveal her true identity. This was not one of those moments. She hated lying to her friends, but she wasn't exactly allowed to tell them that she was a SHIELD agent with superpowers.

Nick's eyes widened. "Wow. Have you ever met Stark in person?"

Iris glared at him, and he quickly said, "Okay, okay, dropping it now. I guess I should go. I told Jeremy that I'd help him set up."

He hesitated, then asked one more question that made Iris even more uncomfortable.

"You still waiting on that guy?"

"Yes." She immediately moved to hang up.

"Wait!" She stopped. Nick was looking embarrassed. "I don't mean to be all personal, but you're been waiting for months. No contact. Do you really think that he was actually ever… you know…"

"If not," she said in low tones, "then I'm stupid and blind and I hope you won't think me narcissistic in saying that I'm not. By now I know that something's gone wrong, but I'm not giving up until I know just what. Okay? Nick, seriously—please get over it."

He looked hurt, but she hung up anyway.

She browsed the internet until around four, then rode back through the city to Stark's estate. She didn't go in just yet—she parked her bike outside and went to sit on the beach. She watched the first sunset over the ocean that she'd ever seen in her life.

When it had finally disappeared over the horizon, her phone beeped. She pulled it out and discovered that she was getting a call from the man of Stark Industries himself.

"Hello, Mr. Stark."

"Um, hi, Iris. You can call me Tony. Mr. Stark is what people call me when they don't know me or don't like me."

"Sure, Tony."

He cleared his throat. "I have pizza in here, if you feel like coming in."

"I'm just on the beach, so I'll be there in a minute."

"Right. See you then."

Amused, Iris found her way back inside and to her room. She washed up, put her stuff away, and left to find Tony seated on his couch. The coffee table in front of him occupied with an open pizza box, a couple of plates, two cups, and a bottle of soda. Whatever he was currently pouring for himself looked a lot stronger.

"Was this Pepper's idea? Not to be rude, Mr. St—Tony. In my opinion it's a fair question."

He gave her a close look, then said, "Fair enough. Yeah, Pepper suggested it, but hey, I agreed. I hope you like sausage."

"My favorite." She sat down and helped herself, searching for a conversation starter through the following awkward silence. She could tell that neither of them really felt comfortable there. "How fun was creating a new element?"

"How did you know about that?"

"I've been living for months at a SHIELD base, surrounded by a bunch of SHIELD databases. Are you kidding me?"

"I guess so. It was interesting, but not as fun since I wasn't actually the one to discover it. My dad was." More awkward silence. Surprisingly, Stark was the one to swallow his pizza first and speak. "So, what about your parents? Beaker and test tube, is what I heard. I don't think I ever got the full story."

The conversation was surprisingly smoothly from then on. Iris retold the story of her childhood, and Tony related bits and pieces of becoming Iron Man. "And then they were all like, 'Iron Man is suitable for the Avengers Initiative, but Tony Stark is not.' What is that even supposed to mean?"

"It seems like you'd be good hero to have on a team. Flight, good weaponry, strong armor, et cetera. But you as a person, maybe not. Do you really think that after the party and donut incidents they wanted your… colorful personality on the team of heroes that are supposed to watch over the Earth?"

Tony seemed disgruntled. "Hero teams need someone to bring in the life of the party. And I mean, really, who else can fly? Not Dr. Banner, that's for sure."

"It's been shut down now anyway." She paused. "So…" she said innocently. "When do I get to come downstairs?"

"Do you ever get the spontaneous urge to touch pieces of complicated machinery that you shouldn't be touching?"

"Not that I know of."

He gave her the eye of suspicion, then said "I guess you can take a look."

Iris tried not to look too happy as he led her down the staircase, through a glass door, and into his workshop for the first time. If Iris had to name a price that than entire room would sell for, she wouldn't have been able to do it. Pieces of technology that could have bought entire houses were strewn carelessly around the room, and at the back, Tony had a row of shiny sports cars that looked like they'd hardly seen the light of day. Then she saw what she'd come for.

In an alcove stood several prototypes of the Iron Man suit, painted and unpainted, varying slightly in design. She got as close as she dared to examine the plating.

"You know," she mused. "I've been living in a SHIELD base for the past few months. I learn fast and have gotten a fairly good grip on technology. I could be helping you here, not just taking up space."

"Have you ever worked on an arc-reactor-powered weapon-loaded super-suit built of a gold/titanium alloy?"

"Okay, no," she admitted.

"Didn't think so."

"But will you just let me start by letting me look at some of the plans?"

He laughed and waved a hand to a set of virtual computer screens. "You can look at anything you can access. Welcome to the workshop."

He crossed over to an antique and expensive looking car and knelt next to it, turning on some heavy metal and picking up a tool. Apparently he'd judged Iris as "able to be trusted around machines".

Iris made her way to the screens that Stark had gestured to, of cutting edge technology. She spread her fingers over the virtual keyboard to find a network of unfamiliar keys. Still, she recognized certain similarities and patterns that let her operate them and get into the system.

Warmed up, she browsed through the accessible information, mostly schematics of all the fancy cars that he owned. That was clearly why he thought it was so funny; anything worth looking at was kept under lock and key. Then she looked over at him concentrating on his engine, pulled her "project" out of her pocket, and got to work.

At long last, she looked up. "Wow. That's a lot of energy for only 1.6 grams of palladium. But you managed to scavenge that much palladium out of your missiles?"

"Wait," Tony looked over. "What?"

"The 1.6 grams of palladium you scrounged up for your mini arc reactor. You had 0.5 grams in each missile. Given how rare it is and what it can do, you weren't worried that scavengers could pick it up?"

Tony stared, then looked up. "Jarvis, what's she looking at?"

"The schematic of the Mark I chestpiece, sir."

"No no no no no! Shut it down!"

Iris's screen went blank.

Tony looked like he wanted to be annoyed but was too put out and impressed. "How did you even do that?"

She held up her hand-fashioned override device. "You said I could look at anything I could access."

He looked up at the ceiling and indignantly called, "Jarvis!"

"I'm easily willed by a woman with a powerful override device, sir."

Finally Tony gave a snort-chuckle noise and said, "You know, I'll make you a deal. You help me work on my machines and let me see that chip you made. Once I know it's safe you can look at whatever you want. Sound good?"

Iris tossed him her device. "Done."

"Ever used a hydraulic lift before?"

"No, but I can learn."

Iris was sitting on the beach, laptop out, under the cool silver moon. She'd been living in Malibu for several weeks. Stark was much more open to her now. More like a family member. Pepper even said that she was impressed by how quickly Stark warmed up to her, but Iris supposed that he didn't really have anything against her. Except the couple of pranks she'd pulled on him. Still, those were only in retaliation to his own jabs at her. It was family stuff.

She helped him work on his machines—cars or suits or arc reactor issues. He'd finally let her start looking at the plans. She wasn't bored out of her mind like she thought she'd be in the beginning, but she still longed for something _real _to do.

She liked being outside, especially at night. She was trying out a new trick, enveloping herself in a bubble of "mental awareness" to make sure not a grain of sand touched her computer. She was looking through all of the SHIELD files, to see if there was anything she could do for them from Malibu. These files were connected to the nationwide-accessible SHIELD mainframe that agents used to see what others were doing at all times. It was a way to stay connected with home base, and while the information was updated through the internet, it was completely secure. The system was as unhackable as you could get.

Iris was glad that she didn't have to hack it. It would have taken her so long. She had level seven clearance, and so could get to the information with permission. She looked through, bored. Nothing new.

When she did find the file, it was deep in the jungle of level-seven-only-classification. She was allowed to be there, but when she tried to access one data grouping, it was locked to her. It reminded her of the thing she'd found back at the SHIELD base, which was an older file. These, though, wouldn't be on the network unless… they'd been accessed. Recently, by someone not at home base. She was a level seven, and still getting locked out. She briefly wondered if it was a level eight or something, or if they were keeping the info out of her specific reach. But the more pressing question was what they were so keen to hide.

She made a split second decision and started bypassing the security codes. They would probably detect it at New York HQ. She knew that she didn't have long before they started shutting her out, and tracing the breach. But way out in Malibu they couldn't exactly stop her.

She worked for minutes, then finally broke in. There were two subtitles—Phase 2 and New Mexico Incident.

New Mexico Incident.

Iris froze up. She checked the date. It was posted just a few days after she'd left. She opened the New Mexico file and copied every word. Then she read every word. Cold anger started boiling up inside her. She was going to have words with the director.


	10. Chapter 10

I was debating whether or not to put up the rest of Xenith Rise all at once, or divide it into two chapters. I decided to do this so you wouldn't have to read ten pages all at once. Luckily, though, since the final chapter is already written, it should be up very soon.

So, anyway, I don't own Marvel or anything. That'd be a disaster.

Have fun :)

* * *

"Sir, security breach to the national mainframe. Someone's hacked the level zero files from the outside."

Director Fury sighed, looking down from agent Coulson and putting his face in his hands. "Put her on the line."

But before Coulson could, a thought rang through Fury's head. And he knew that she was angry. Sending a message across the entire country took effort and emotion. _Don't bother, Fury. You're coming here. And now._

"Never mind. I'm going to Malibu."

"Feeling like a vacation, sir?" Coulson said gloomily.

"If only."

* * *

"You completely, utterly, and flat-out lied! You promised me that if anything happened, you would tell me! Is this how you treat all your people? Because I'm beginning to wonder why I'm still here!"

"Iris, you have to understand. We didn't want to bring you in on it prematurely. We had to make sure it applied to you first, and it didn't seem like it did."

They were in the main room of Stark's house, Tony and Pepper watching awkwardly from the side. Fury was sitting down, and had asked Iris to do the same several times, but she was still on her feet.

"I was waiting in the middle of the desert for a person who never showed up. Some person comes flying out of the sky the same night. But, oh don't worry, it's just the god of thunder. Later, the gate closes up completely. You didn't tell me that it had opened again! Now it's gone, and you barely got any information. If you had to keep secrets that I had to find later, you should have at least made sure that the secrets were the information that I needed!"

"Would this be a bad time to ask you to record everything you know about this to put into the SHIELD databases?"

Iris was fighting the impulse to hurl him out of the large, floor-to-ceiling windows and into the ocean. It would get her fired. And quite possibly arrested. Did she care? She didn't want to. But turning away in frustration, Iris realized that there would always be a part of her that would keep her from acting in the heat of the moment. It was her nature. She could get angry—but not rash. Glancing down at her clenched fists, she noticed the air around them rippling. She opened them and forced herself to relax, and watched the ripples dissipate. She'd never seen that before.

"I see," said Fury. "So this person did apply to you. Even if he wasn't the person you were waiting for."

"Thor could have told me what happened."

"We didn't know that he had anything to do with you, Iris. He never spoke of you."

"Well, I'd never met him. But it's too late now, anyway, isn't it?"

"Yes. Based on Jane Foster's data collection and what she's told us, something's happened with the gateway. I'm sorry, Iris."

Iris no longer had any qualms about reading his mind, but this only made it so that she could tell that Fury actually was sorry, for one reason or another. He knew he'd made a bad call, and was beginning to regret it. That fact only aggravated her more.

She finally slumped and sat down. The confrontation she'd started in a moment of rage had gone maddeningly nowhere. Fury knew nothing more. There was nothing more to be said, nothing more that could be done. Nothing useful, anyway. Nothing that would get her back to Loki. Unconsciously fingering her pendant, she was soon lost in thought.

Then she heard the Director silently thanking his lucky stars that she hadn't opened the Phase II file, and she looked up. "Does Phase 2 have anything to do with this at all?"

Fury grimaced. "No."

Iris smirked. He was being honest, but under his calm exterior was squirming at the thought of her being able to pick the file straight out of his mind, if she tried hard enough. Well, not exactly "squirming". Not the type. But he was uncomfortable enough.

"I guess I can always find that out later, if I get interested."

Fury stood up. "I'm sorry, Iris," he repeated. "I'll send you all the data we have. And we will keep you posted on anything else that happens regarding the New Mexico incident. All right?"

"We're a spy organization, Fury. We keep secrets. We're made of secrets. I can respect that. But to choose this? After what you told me? You know how you had me sign that contract, prohibiting me from using my powers against the agency? Never happened. I'll work for SHIELD as long as I want to, but I sure as hell won't bend over to them again. Remember that. You of all people know what I can do."

Fury sighed and stroked his beard. "I did not mean for this to happen this way."

"Then you shouldn't have kept a girl from her god."

Fury swept out.

Iris was buzzing with too many thoughts at once, but she managed to tear her eyes off of Fury's retreating back and get them in order. There was a lot of stuff that she didn't know—it was time to focus on what she did.

Apparently something had happened to the Bifröst. But that didn't mean that the other ways of getting to Asgard were disabled. Something else had happened on Asgard, which was the reason that Loki hadn't come or contacted. But then again, Thor could have told her what it was. And he wasn't coming back any time soon. And what the SHIELD files said about Loki… based on the context that Thor had used his name in, Loki was the enemy. The author of the file speculated that Loki was behind the attacks on Puente Antiguo.

Iris put her head in her hands, trying to still her spinning mind. They'd taken all this trouble to hide the stuff, made sure that she never talked to Thor, and didn't even have any concrete answers to her questions. Her anger at SHIELD bubbled over again and she started heading back to her room.

"Iris, wait."

She paused. "Yes, Tony?"

"I know that you aren't really in the mood for SHIELD right now, but is there anything that you want to tell us? Like, what actually happened. You were waiting for someone from the other world—Asgard, right? Who was it? What did they say to you?"

"It doesn't matter anymore, Tony. Either they come or they don't."

Iris stalked off, and Tony stood next to Pepper, looking ready to give up and turn in. Pepper coughed.

"Well, too bad you don't know where Iris's room is, so you can't plan your words more carefully and then go and have a real talk with her." She gave him a look. "Good night, Tony."

And so Tony was hovering a few minutes later outside of Iris's door, awkwardly planning his words in his head. He had no idea why Pepper expected him to act the parent. He wasn't used to being around any type of kid. But he did consider himself lucky that Iris was college age and not some high-schooler. Finally, he raised his hand to buzz the door.

Before he could, the door slid open, and he saw Iris sitting cross-legged on the bed, laptop out, looking up at him. "Yes?"

"I just thought, you know," he cleared his throat as he entered. "You seem a little stressed and I thought I could help."

Iris smiled humorlessly. "Pepper did?" Then she sighed. "Not really stressed, just mad at SHIELD. Which is ironic because I'm a SHIELD agent. And just…" she trailed off.

"You really wanted to be with this person from Asgard, huh? I'm not a heartless wretch, you know. I've felt it before."

She stared at the bed. "What can I say? He visited Earth once. Then he took me to Asgard. He agreed to take me back there to stay after I'd tied up my loose ends on Earth. I waited in the desert, but something happened. It's still happening. And now I have no way of learning what that is. Is it my fault? Bigger? I just… I can't..." She looked back up. "There's nothing you can do, Tony. But thanks anyways, and sorry I've been so ungrateful."

He was surprised at his own success. "You'd better be sorry—"

Iris laughed and punched him on the arm. "Shut up!"

He gave a fleeting grin and rubbed his arm, then sat down next to her on the bed. "Also, Iris, I've been meaning to ask. Does it bother you, all that much, not having a family?"

Iris almost laughed. "Not really, and for two reasons. I never knew my parents so I don't miss them, and I don't need them. I'm young, Tony, but I'm not a kid. I can take care of myself. But the second reason I don't mind not having a family is because I have one now."

"I must have missed them."

"I could try and avoid cheesiness, or I could lay it all out flat. I'll go with the second. If I made my family tree, you could say that Agent Romanoff is like an older sister, Agent Barton—don't think that you've met him yet—and Agent Coulson are like older brothers. I have friends in New York. Now, I could even tack you on as a father figure. I know it's a little late to finally have one, but I can't deny that they are my family. You are my family."

Tony was almost moved, but he recovered quickly. "Does that mean I'm supposed to be trying to be a good role model?"

"You're definitely a role model, Tony, I just won't go into what role you're modeling. But you're actually learning a lot about parenting. It's fun to watch. And very…amusing."

As Tony got up, he gave her a smile that was wide, genuine, and rare. "Well then, Iris Stark, go to bed, don't let SHIELD bother you, and don't trick Jarvis into waking me up with soft classical ever again, okay?"

"Sure thing, dad."

After Tony left, she actually did as she was told.


	11. Chapter 11

This is the last chapter. I really hope that you guys have enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you haven't reviewed, please review! I like reviews. Reviews are cool. They help me become a better writer. Oh, and you know what else helps my writing? An editor. So I'd like to thank my friend Riolutae for helping me edit this. She's the reviewer pretending to be excited when each new update comes, despite the fact that she's already read it.

Anyway, [do not own Marvel] and things.

Tot ziens.

* * *

The next day, Iris received the full SHIELD file from the Director, which included all of the audio, video, and image files from the New Mexico incident. The more Iris sorted, the more her heart broke.

Most of which she figured out was through deduction only, and yet she knew that she was right. To begin with—the Bifröst had still been functioning for a while after she left, and yet Loki hadn't contacted. He had a choice—and he no longer wanted to talk to her.

Second, the attack on Puente Antiguo. He knew that it was her hometown, and he had sent a metal giant to not only raze it to the ground but to kill his brother, who had been defenseless, not even able to wield Mjölnir at the time. SHIELD had only put this in the 'deductions' section, since they weren't absolutely sure that Loki had been behind the attack, but Iris knew. She'd seen the security footage, seen the written transcripts of Thor's words from agent Coulson. Loki had tried to kill his brother and didn't care who else he took out. Even if it was her.

Final conclusion: Loki was gone.

That night, Iris was to be found on the balcony of Stark's house, leaning on the railing under the stars. She hadn't cried once, though she'd considered it. But she'd scarcely come inside, mostly looking into the heavens and wondering how far it was to Asgard.

She had tried so hard. She'd known that Loki needed help—by himself, he was bitter, full of hatred and jealousy. She had helped him. She had shown him what else there was in the world to live for. And she had loved him. But in the ultimate test, from what she'd seen, he hadn't been able to control himself. He had fallen farther than ever before. Whatever had happened, he'd fallen into his own hatred, out of her reach. Even while he still existed, out there, somewhere, _he_ was gone. The Loki that she'd known had destroyed himself.

The man she loved.

She wondered if she'd been there, if she'd have been able to stop him. Or if he had always been destined to be the enemy.

She looked down into the surf and wondered again why she wasn't crying. Not out of shame; any tears she had would drip into the salt water below, and no one would ever know. Not out of lack of emotion—definitely not that. No, she didn't feel like crying. She just felt… empty.

She pulled her arms off the railing, frustrated by her own despondency. All her life, she'd tried to stay positive. Almost bizarrely positive, for an orphan freak working at a traveling circus. Or maybe that was _why_ she tried to stay optimistic. Because the other option was to be completely miserable. As much as part of her wanted to freeze there under the stars, hoping and wishing for a miracle, the rest of her was pulling on its coat and moving on.

She spent most of her time the next few days on the balcony, pacing, pondering, long after the turmoil of her mind had settled. And on the third night, Iris stopped to look out at the line between the ocean and sky. Then she closed her eyes and took a deep breath of the salty sea-breeze. The smell of her Earth, the air enveloping her now. The present. And she turned her back to the heavens and reentered the house.

Tony was busy working on his plans to build a self-sustaining tower in downtown Manhattan, created off of arc-reactor technology, and Pepper was helping him with the plans. Iris decided to leave them be, making herself a cup of tea and taking it back up to the living room. Blowing on it and setting it down on the coffee table, she pulled her laptop out and started to look through the rest of the SHIELD files, the ones that she was able to access with her new level zero clearance. As she read, she realized that she could hardly blame SHIELD for having kept them hidden. They were—impressive.

It was an archive of reports from all over the country of superhero incidents, most of which they'd covered up, like Thor's. She'd heard about mutants, of course—everyone had. But this contained confidential details of the events surrounding the mutant registration act and what had happened after "the mutant cure" had been invented. It talked a lot about Charles Xavier's school for gifted youngsters. Iris was most interested in this. Not that she was a mutant, but she thought it would be nice to go to a place where supernatural abilities were the norm. As she read, though, she was distracted by the fact that both of the mutants that had been psychics were dead. One had let her powers control her and killed the other. Then she'd had to be killed to keep her from harming others. Iris bit her lip, but still finished the file before moving on.

Various names were mentioned. Daredevil was an elusive crimefighter in Hell's Kitchen, New York. Luke Cage was a hero for hire in Harlem. A group of scientists had returned from an outer space excursion with odd abilities. And there was even a report from Queens—a hero with insect-like abilities that had earned him the name "Spider-Man", and his associate, called "Dark Angel". She was called that because she had wings.

Iris shut her laptop and took a deep drink of tea, wondering when she'd next be able to snag some absent leave. As she was taking her things back to her room, her SHIELD comm started to buzz.

She set her cup and laptop down on the windowsill. "Rivers."

"_Rivers, Hill. We have a new assignment for you_."

"Any reason that Fury isn't giving me this?"

"_He says he's busy, and he is. But honestly, I don't think that he'd have the balls. You're scarier than you realize, Iris. And also, I need to tell you—I'm sorry too."_

"You don't have to apologize, Hill. Fury told me that you'd protested his ruling. I don't make a point of killing the messenger."

"_I could have told you."_

"And risked your position just for that? No way. You worry about other stuff, Commander."

"_How is it that you're able to be so nice and yet so badass?"_

Iris laughed.

"_So here's the deal: we're going on a diplomatic mission. We need someone to travel, finding super-humans and extending a hand. If necessary, a warning. They'd tell any super-humans they met that a group is forming, called the Avengers. Give them a chance to join if interested. If they aren't warn them that the Avengers will be out there, and that if they try and cross the line, there will be someone to straighten them out."_

"Who'm I talking to?"

"_Anyone, but the baseline is to get the X-Men, Spider-Man and his friend, and the four Baxter scientists. You just read all of the people that we know about—try to hit as many as you can_."

"What about these two people, Ant-Man and Wasp? All it says in the file is 'not a threat'."

_"That's the thing, Iris—they had their info moved. Didn't want just anyone reading it."_

"So we know them?"

_"They started the Avengers."_

Iris stopped pacing. "And no one thought I needed to know that?"

_"Iris, barely anyone knows it. Ant-Man was one of the first superheroes that we came across. He was already working with the superheroine Wasp, but he approached SHIELD and suggested a team—a team of heroes to help humanity face the horrors that it never could alone."_

"And maybe to also help him reach tall places?"

"_Hilarious, Iris. Anyway, he works mostly independently. A lot of people know he exists, but he and Wasp don't want to be pegged as the founders of the Avengers. They aren't those types of people."_

"I can respect that."

"_Jet should be arriving soon. Report to HQ at 0600."_

"I'll be there."

Iris quickly started throwing her things together. She barely had anything in Malibu, just her everyday clothing and a few personal items. Her SHIELD equipment was all back at base, except for her swords and a spare gun. Iris was so glad that she never had to deal with airport security.

She looked over her shoulder and said, "Yes."

Tony walked into the room, giving her a look. "I can't ask a question as simple as 'leaving so soon'?"

"No."

"Well."

Iris laughed and shoved her laptop into her backpack. "How's Stark Tower going?"

"Better than I thought it would. But then, I mean, what'd you expect? It has my name on it. So." He looked at her things on the floor. "New assignment?"

"Yeah."

"Classified?"

"Maybe. Probably." Iris stopped moving for a moment, thinking. "Yeah. Sorry."

"Not that I couldn't find out anyway." He held up Iris's override device and she winced.

"Yeah, about that… when you use it, don't tell SHIELD where you got it, okay?"

"Now why would I do something like that?"

"You know how much I love rhetorical questions."

They both stood there, looking at each other, until Tony cleared his throat. "Well, we'll leave the light on for you. In case you feel like finding some form of intelligent life to talk to."

"I know I will."

When she looked back up, he was gone.

She zipped up her last bag before remembering she'd forgotten something and pulling open one of the drawers on her dresser. She'd been sewing a mask for herself—in case the Avengers were ever called together. She didn't exactly want everyone to know who she was. Maybe Tony liked the attention—but he was a genius. Not a freak show.

She put was putting it in her suitcase while she mulled over aliases. Most people were named by the populace; she hadn't been out saving people yet. There were certain things Tony had suggested: Zelda, Princess Peach, Xena. She'd ignored him. She liked the X, though. And she also liked the idea of switching out letters, like putting X instead of Z. But then she couldn't think of any z words except Zelda.

She straightened up and looked in the mirror, noticing a flash of silver at her neckline. She pulled her necklace out of her shirt and looked at it for a second. She wondered what happened to the one she'd given Loki.

But she didn't need him. That was the one realization that had kept her sane. She had heard about people nearly losing the will to live when they lost their loves. Iris _had _been broken. But she'd also risen. She'd learned how to love, and how to lose a love, and how to move on. And now she was at her highest point.

She yanked off the necklace, feeling the enchanted chain snap, and she opened up the top drawer of the dresser, the one with the self-installed false bottom. She'd designed it to store stuff that she didn't want Pepper finding, but hadn't filled it yet.

Now she tossed the necklace inside slid it shut.

Her comm buzzed again. "_Rivers, Barton. You ready?"_

"Bored, Clint?"

"_Nothing else to do. Figured I'd fill the time with something other than shooting arrows."_

"Oh, really? Then Romanoff's back in Russia?"

Iris heard him cough. _"Come on. You have to make 0600, you know._"

"I know. I'm coming."

Iris heaved her bags off the floor and hit the light on her way out.


	12. Epilogue

Psych. Sorry, had to do that… the epilogue technically isn't a chapter, right?

* * *

Ororo was rewatching all the news clips she'd collected about Tony Stark/Iron Man. She'd also added in bits that she'd been lucky enough to pick up about the thing known as the Incredible Hulk. The government had swept through a while ago to clean up all the Hulk footage, and they'd raided, all right. But when you have a student who can take things and sink into the ground until unwanted visitors leave, then well—she had nothing to worry about, did she?

Logan popped open another beer. "I still don't think you need to see that again."

One icy blast later, his beer was frozen solid. When Logan looked over, Bobby wasn't even looking up from his snowboarding magazine. "And I think that you've already had enough to drink."

"Kid, just cause you're young doesn't mean I'm not gonna kick your ass if you do that again—"

"Logan," Ororo warned.

Logan was indignant. "You're telling me?"

Ororo frowned. "We need to know about these things. The next thing you know, one of them goes haywire in a populated place and who's going to be there to stop it?"

"Government," said Logan, waving dismissively.

Suddenly Kitty ran through the closed door, breathless. "Guys, we've got a visitor."

Logan was on his feet in a second. Visitors were usually a bad sign. "Who?"

"Says she's a government chick, SHIELD, but she doesn't really look it. Warren's bringing her up. She said that the stuff she came about was classified, for the head X-Men only."

Storm got up too. "Then I'm sorry, Kitty, but you'd better go."

Kitty nodded and melted through the floor. A second later, the door opened and Warren poked his head inside. "Did Kitty—"

"She did. If you could let her in and shut the door, that'd be great, Warren."

Warren nodded and withdrew. Then the door was pushed open a second time and a girl stepped through.

Ororo was surprised. This girl was only about as old as Bobby, the age at which a lot of mutants came to the school to escape ridicule and hatred in their respective neighborhoods. Even with her boots and long black coat, she didn't look like a government agent. But she walked with a certain authority that Ororo could recognize.

"Hello, Ms. Munroe," the girl said, before nodding to the other two. "Mr. Drake, Mr. Logan. I'm here on behalf of SHIELD. Strategic Hazard Intervention, Espionage Directorate. You may have heard of us."

Logan thunked his frozen beer onto the table. "If I had, I would have forgotten by the time they finished saying it. You know, I hope that you're not here to try and register us or force us into a working contract with the government, because that usually never works out." His eyes narrowed. "Miss…?"

"You don't have to worry, Mr. Logan. If they'd told me to do that, I would've quit my job. And then where would I be?" She smiled. "And my name is Iris Rivers, but since I hear that you're keen on nicknames, you can call me Xenith."

* * *

-FIN-

* * *

Okay, this time it actually is over. Thanks again for reading. And I just want to say that I left this open-ended so that I can do a sequel if I want to, but I'll most likely end up writing other stuff before I go back to Iris. And also, if I do write a sequel, Loki will **not** be involved. Since I'm no longer sticking strictly to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, anything could happen, and I won't be using Joss Whedon's Avengers plotline. It's too perfect for me to ruin it.

Until next time, keeping reading, writing (if you're into that) and avenging. Salut!


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